Princess Catherine of Wales, or Kate Middleton, is a cultural icon who is beloved by people all around the world. Her wedding to Prince William of Wales (the son of King Charles) was watched live by tens of millions of international viewers. “She is good for the royal family and their image. Prior to marrying William, she was a normal person and teenager, and then she was able to fit right in with the royal family,” Maitri Ratanpara, a self-proclaimed royal enthusiast (11) explained. This love of Kate Middleton causes a lot of attention on the princess.  Tabloids, blogs, and social media pages are dedicated to the princess along with her outfits, daily life, charity work, etc. Of course, not all the press is positive, however, in comparison to many royals, Kate receives fairly positive press. Hence, when Kate had surgery and was not in the public eye for multiple months, the media went crazy. 

In January of  2024, it was reported that the Princess underwent a planned abdominal surgery, and would be making a private recovery until April. However, the speculation started on the internet as internet sleuths began questioning the legitimacy of the recovery. Rumors swirled, ranging from her being in a coma, to divorcing William, even to her “running” away. The legitimacy of tabloid photos was questioned, and some speculated Kate had a “doppelgänger.” However, the conspiracies came to a head when a photo was released of Kate and her three children for Mother’s Day, where there was very obvious photoshop, to the point where AP News declared the image as altered. The princess later came out with a statement explaining she experimented with Photoshop, however, this was again questioned by social media.

In Middleton’s statement, she announced she had undergone planned abdominal surgery, however, after her surgery, her doctors realized that cancer was present, and was recommended preventative chemotherapy. The princess requested privacy at the time, as she worked on her recovery. This announcement caused an end to many theories, and apologies from those on the internet.