A complete timeline of her whereabouts this year.
Even if you’re not a fan or follower of the British monarchy, your social media feeds (and, let’s be honest, thoughts) have probably been consumed by the royal family lately. In the last few months, speculation about Kate Middleton’s whereabouts and condition ran rampant across social media, and the theories, ranging from reasonable to wild, became almost inescapable.
We know now what was really happening: On March 22, the Princess of Wales publicly announced that she was diagnosed with cancer. The news was an upsetting end to the rumors that had been building for weeks as royal obsessives wondered why she was taking such a long break from being in the public eye — rumors that only intensified after a controversial (and doctored) photo was released in an attempt to quiet the conjecture.
Needless to say, there’s been a lot to keep up with. If you need a refresher on all of these closely watched developments, we retraced the princess’s steps from the past few months (to the best of our availability, based on what’s public) and chronicled the story as it unfolded in the timeline below.
Dec. 25, 2023: Kate Middleton’s last public appearance
Kate made her last official public appearance on Christmas Day, when she and her family walked to Sandringham for church, in keeping with royal tradition.
January 17, 2024: Kate’s surgery announced
Kensington Palace announced Kate had entered the hospital for a planned abdominal surgery the day before. “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the announcement read. “She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.” It added that she was unlikely to return to public duties before Easter and that Prince William would temporarily postpone his appearances to help take care of Kate and the children while she recovered.
January 29: Kate recovers
Kensington Palace released a statement announcing that the Princess of Wales had returned home “to continue her recovery from surgery,” adding, “She is making good progress.” She was expected to recover at home for 10-14 days. She and Prince William also thanked her team at the London Clinic and her well-wishers worldwide.
February 5-7: The King has cancer
The King’s cancer diagnosis was made public on Feb. 5. Two days later, Prince William made his first official public appearance since Kate’s surgery when he stepped in for King Charles to lead an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. Later that evening, he attended a fundraising gala for London’s Air Ambulance Charity (where he was photographed with Tom Cruise). In his speech, he thanked attendees for their support following the revelations about Charles and Catherine. He joked, “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.”
February 27: Prince William steps back
Prince William backed out of attending the service of Thanksgiving for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece. The palace said it was due to a “personal matter” and later clarified that it was not due to King Charles’s health.
February 29: The palace releases a statement about Kate
Amid rampant speculation about Kate’s whereabouts and condition, the palace released a statement that she was “doing well.” It also reiterated that they would not be sharing regular updates: “Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands,” the statement said.
March 4: Kate’s caught by the paparazzi
TMZ captured a photo of Kate in a car with her mother, Carole. It was the first time she was seen publicly since her operation. The photo was not published by British outlets, though — according to the Daily Mail, “Kensington Palace appealed for her to be able to recuperate in private.”
March 5: A mistake about Kate
There appeared to be a clue regarding Kate’s first public appearance: The official UK Army website listed the Princess of Wales’s name as leading the annual review of soldiers on June 8 at London’s Horse Guards Parade. However, Kensington Palace quickly clarified that they had not approved (or even been consulted about) the appearance and Kate’s name was later taken off the site.
March 6: William makes a statement
Prince William broke his silence and spoke out about the internet frenzy — sort of. A spokesperson told PEOPLE, “His focus is on his work and not on social media.”
March 11: Kate’s first official photo…sort of
The Kensington Royals social accounts posted what appeared to be the first official photo of Princess Kate post-surgery. The palace said the picture was captured by Prince William a week before and showed the Princess with her arms around her children.
But not long after its release, social media users started doubting the photo’s authenticity, pointing out irregularities with the hands, foliage, and other elements. By Sunday night, numerous photo agencies including AP, Reuters, and Getty Images had issued a kill notice, instructing outlets not to publish the image out of concerns that it had been manipulated.
March 12: The princess apologizes for photoshopping
After the social media uproar, Princess Catherine took to the Kensington Royals social media accounts to apologize. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the statement read. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C”
Hours after the apology, the Princess was photographed inside a car with Prince William. The Daily Mail published the photo, which shows the husband and wife leaving Windsor Castle. The outlet reported that the Princess was headed to a “private appointment” while Prince William was on his way to the annual Commonwealth Day service. According to The Telegraph, “two experienced photographers” captured the shot of Kate in the car, anticipating Prince William to appear along their route on his way to Commonwealth Day. “We had no idea that Kate was even in the car with him until we looked at it. It was pure luck,” one of the photographers told The Telegraph.
March 16: Kate Middleton spotted at farm shop, The Sun reports
The Sun reported the first public sighting of Kate Middleton since her surgery, writing that she appeared “happy, relaxed and healthy” on a visit to a farm shop in Windsor with her family. An unnamed witness told the British outlet, “Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well,” adding, “The kids weren’t with them, but it’s such a good sign she was healthy enough to pop down to the shops.” The Sun also reported that later that day she and William watched their children play sports. And while no photos were published alongside the U.K. outlet’s report, TMZ obtained a video of the outing — and Princess Kate can be seen sporting athletic gear, strolling with Prince William, and carrying plastic shopping bags.
A witness who captured some video footage, Nelson Silva, told TMZ, “Kate looked relieved like it was a success going to a shop. It felt natural.” (By the way, before you dive into any conspiracies, TMZ says they’ve examined the metadata of the video and can confirm it was taken on Saturday near Windsor.)
The sighting came after Kensington Palace posted a St. Patrick’s Day message to X, sharing a video of the Irish Guards rehearsing for their annual parade. The Princess of Wales missed the parade — not a surprise given her recovery timeline — and her traditional role of handing out shamrock sprigs to the guards was undertaken by Lady Ghika, wife of the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, Major General Sir Christopher Ghika.
Middleton was a regular attendee of the parade and was named honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards last year after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. The Irish Guard paid tribute to the Princess of Wales this year, since she was unable to attend.
March 22: Kate Middleton announces cancer diagnosis
The speculation finally came to an end on a Friday afternoon. Social media suddenly light up with rumors that broadcasters in the UK were gearing up for a major announcement from the royal family, and about half an hour later, the Princess of Wales gave a pre-taped video statement announcing she’d been diagnosed with cancer following her abdominal surgery, and she’s currently undergoing chemotherapy. Watch her full announcement right here.
March 24: Kate and William speak out
Two days after revealing the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis, she and her husband, Prince William, broke their silence via a spokesperson for Kensington Palace. “The prince and princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the U.K., across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’ message,” the representative said, adding, “They are extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.” Supporters have been paying visits to Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle in droves, leaving flowers and other well wishes for the princess.
April 18: Prince William returns to royal duties
While the Princess of Wales recuperates from her cancer treatment, Prince William made his first public appearance at a charity event. He visited Surplus to Supper, a nonprofit that bridges the gap between food waste and food poverty by distributing surplus food to those in need. He helped deliver food to a youth center and cook meals.
The week before, he was spotted at an Aston Villa football game with Prince George.
