When the Palace announced that the Princess of Wales had undergone abdominal surgery in January, it preceded weeks of speculation over Kate's health. In March, when concerns over the royal's recovery were at their peak on social media, Kate shared a video explaining that she was receiving chemotherapy treatment as doctors found that cancer had been present during her procedure at the start of the year.
Before she shared that news with the world, interest in Kate's absence from public life was rapidly mounting and various moves from the Palace - including the controversial Mother's Day photo and a video of William and Kate at a local farm shop - did little to dampen what they called 'wild conspiracy theories'. In a report for Vanity Fair, journalist and royal correspondent Katie Nicholl has claimed that William and Kate were 'floored by the reaction', with the former private secretary to the late Princess Diana, Patrick Jephson, explaining: "The information vacuum that the Palace did not have the good sense to fill with honest, harmless stuff allowed these wild conspiracy theories to grow up... The public’s love for the monarchy is its greatest strength. Its greatest guarantee of longevity."
As Kate recovered at The London Clinic in January, Prince William was photographed arriving at the hospital to visit his wife. However, some questioned why the couple's children, Prince George, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis, were not there to see their mum post-surgery, and now, Nicholls has explained the reason behind it.
In the report, she claims that the Wales children were not by William's side during these visits as Kate 'did not want her children to see her in a gown and hooked up to monitors and tubes'. Instead, the Princess made regular video calls to her children, with a friend of hers telling the royal expert: "Things were so normal at home that George was playing a rugby match against another school while Kate was hospitalised."
According to the insider, William and Kate wanted to ensure that things were as normal as possible for their little ones, with one aide claiming that they have 'created the most normal life for their children they can'.
Kate's first public appearance of the year took place in June when she attended Trooping the Colour alongside her family. It has been suggested that the Princess may make an appearance at Wimbledon this month if she feels well enough.
