The Princess of Wales is one of the most photographed women in the world, with every commitment and outing being covered by news outlets in the UK and further afield. Nevertheless, following her abdominal surgery in January, the Princess wasn’t spotted out and about for nearly two months until March 4, leading many to ponder what was really happening.
Conspiracy theorists had a field day. Some theorised that Kate was in an induced coma following complications from the surgery; or was in really bad health, hence why Prince William cited ‘personal matters’ when he cancelled his public appearance on February 27. Others went down a different path, insinuating that the Prince and Princess’ marriage was on the rocks, with one of them potentially cheating on the other. Rumours of plastic surgery also abounded.
Needless to say, even wilder (and funnier) theories hit the internet, too, with some saying that the Princess was waiting for her bangs to grow back following a botched haircut, and others jokingly stating that she was actually the mastermind behind the viral Glasgow Willy Wonka experience that left children crying.
With all this happening photos of the Princess being driven near Windsor Castle by her mother, published by news sites on March 4, came somewhat out of the blue. In fact, many conspiracists are feeling vindicated, alleging that the Palace leaked these to the media to quash the rumours and stop people from talking about the supposed truth.
In reality, Buckingham Palace had released a statement in January explaining that the Princess would not be taking on any public duties until after Easter, which is still three weeks away. Even so, what all this shows is that just because you physically take one of the world’s most famous people out of the spotlight, doesn’t mean people’s intrigue will subside.
