Princess Kate has not been seen in public since Christmas Day, because she is currently in recovery from an abdominal surgery she had in mid-January.
But because the internet is the internet, people are running wild with "disappearance" conspiracy theories, including drawing supposed timelines of what they believe happened. Other theories include: The Princess of Wales is filming some reality TV, is dating Pete Davidson, has "Freaky Friday-ed" with the King, has been found in an internet-famous house, and, uh, something with Willy Wonka I don't fully understand.
While making light of any situation can help us feel better about it, it's also important to look at the facts wherever we can, especially when talking about somebody's health, so here's what we actually know based on statements from the Palace and royal sources.
Why has Princess Kate not been seen since Christmas?
The princess underwent a "planned abdominal surgery" in January, following which she remained in hospital for two weeks before continuing her recovery at home in Windsor. A statement from Kensington Palace explained that Kate would not resume royal duties until at least after Easter; a follow-up statement on February 29 reiterated this.
What has Prince William said about his wife's recovery?
While Prince William has been characteristically discreet about Kate's surgery and recovery, he did make a joke during one of his first public appearances following her hospitalization.
At the London Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner, the Prince of Wales said, "It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus, so I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all."
This also referred to his father King Charles' cancer diagnosis, which was sadly announced earlier this month.
What else has been said about Kate's recovery?
When a royal source revealed that Prince William would be pulling out of a service of thanksgiving for his godfather King Constantine of Greece on Feb. 27 due to a "personal matter," the same royal source shared that Kate "continues to be doing well."
On February 29, a royal source reiterated to HuffPost: "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.”
