Prince William's Reported Reaction To The Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Isn't Surprising
For much of early 2024, it seemed like half the internet was wearing tinfoil hats and had gone into full-on conspiracy mode over Kate Middleton's purported disappearance. When Kensington Palace announced that the Duchess of Cambridge would have a "planned abdominal surgery" and would not surface to the public eye until months later, many royal fans, along with casual spectators, had a field day. The lack of detail in the announcement triggered a frenzy of imaginative and often disturbing theories that only worsened as time passed. Through all this, Prince William was less than thrilled to see his wife become the subject of all the ridiculous rumors.
It's not exactly clear why the internet collectively decided to go down a rabbit hole to figure out what was happening with Kate, but it certainly wasn't helped by the fake photo controversy caused by the palace posting a digitally manipulated Mother's Day photo of her, which was withdrawn by reputable outlets like AP and Reuters. Rumors then spiraled out of control, with some theorizing that Kate stepped out of the spotlight to recover from a Brazilian butt lift, while others assumed she had pulled a "Gone Girl" amid rumors of Prince William's supposed affair with Rose Hanbury. All these only came to a halt when Kate finally broke her silence at the end of March 2024 and revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
As Kate shared her health struggles, the public's guilt over their rampant speculating was clearer than ever. Meanwhile, Prince William couldn't help but feel furious about his wife being part of a social media circus she never asked for.
Prince William was reportedly 'angry' about the rumors floating around
The public initially side-eyed Prince William's behavior regarding the conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton. He appeared indifferent early on and chose to remain tightlipped even when pressed for comment. This initial response totally backfired, stirring up even more anxiety about Kate's absence. "His focus is on his work and not on social media," his spokesperson shared with People at the time.
But it turns out that he wasn't as detached as he seemed after all. A former palace staff member told the outlet that the royal was feeling "upset and angry" about the whole ordeal and the only reason why his former response was devoid of feelings was that he was truly focused on his work and had learned how to "compartmentalize" personal matters.
Royal expert Nick Bullen echoed these insights based on his conversations with people close to the royal. "I think with William it's very much, 'Let's just get on with the job in hand,'" he told Us Weekly, adding that William's calm demeanor is likely just a front. "I think he will be very, very angry at the conspiracy theories that have been flying around, very angry at the speculation, very angry that the messaging is appearing to get out of control." He also posited that Kate was more than just stressed; she likely also felt powerless as the rumors spiraled. "She is feeling that the news cycle is out of control, and it is having an impact on her."
Members of the royal family and their inner circle also expressed concerns
Prince William isn't the only royal upset by the wild conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton. Even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, both of whom were initially reported to be out of the loop about anything concerning Kate's personal matters, still made an effort to subtly address all the rumors and wish her well. In a carefully worded statement shared with various media outlets, they said, "We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace." The choice of words, particularly especially "privately" and "in peace," seemed to hint at their awareness of the rumors and appeared to be a silent plea for the public to dial back on their conspiracies.
Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, also shared his two cents. While he believes the press barrage against Kate isn't as intense as it was for his sister, he's still troubled by the impact of it all on the royal. In an interview with BBC, he noted that all the public attention had contributed nothing to provide clarity over the situation. "I do worry about what happened to the truth," he said.