Unbelievable Rumors About Kate Middleton's Life
Members of the British royal family are used to being the center of attention and are regularly photographed at public events around the world. As a result, royal fans went into meltdown when Kate Middleton stepped back from her official duties after royal officials revealed she was undergoing abdominal surgery in January 2024. The longer Kate avoided the spotlight during her supposed recovery, the more outrageous and disturbing the theories about the princess' disappearance became.
In an interview with The Washington Post, PR crisis consultant Mark Borkowski discussed the strange rumors and conspiracy theories that have been circulated during Kate's absence from public life. "Just like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster as well as flat earth brigade, there will be folk who will believe the future Queen is a double," he explained. "It's a sorry mess."
Plus, things went from bad to worse in March 2024 when a photo released by the royal family of the princess and her children was debunked, and Kate claimed that she went a little heavy with the "editing." From otherworldly suggestions to truly macabre conspiracies, join us as we explore the most unbelievable rumors about why the Princess of Wales has been MIA.
Kate Middleton was secretly cremated
While conspiracy theories and rumors about Kate Middleton have pretty much run the gamut, some have been more grotesque than others. Following the Princess of Wales's disappearance from public life at the start of 2024, some online commentators speculated that something sinister may have happened to Prince William's wife. Undoubtedly, one of the worst suggestions was that Kate had died and that she had already been cremated, with one social media account sharing alleged footage of the cremation.
Of course, there was no actual evidence — aside from a very suspicious video clip shared to social media — that Kate was dead or that she had, in fact, been laid to rest. Unfortunately, the lack of hard facts didn't stop the rumor from spreading like wildfire, increasing genuine concern for Kate's wellbeing. Luckily, BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh was sensible enough to call out the strange and morbid rumor, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Unbelievable levels of nonsense." But to the conspiracy believers, the idea that Kate may have been cremated in secret, without the general public even being made aware of an alleged death, was a spooky idea.
Kate 'had a nervous breakdown' over Prince William's alleged mistress
The online theories regarding Kate Middleton reached a fever pitch when it was suggested she was dead, but a number of alternative rumors have also claimed that the princess had experienced a mental health episode, leaving her largely incapacitated. According to one such theory that was spread on X, the incident was onset by shocking news stemming from her husband, Prince William.
"The streets are saying Kate had a nervous breakdown during Xmas bc she found out Will's mistress, Rose Hanbury, is pregnant with his child and she's keeping it," the poster wrote. "Kate is now refusing to cooperate." The poster predicated the outlandish rumor by stating they were simply sharing a theory about Kate that was already widely circulated online. Adding Prince William's longtime alleged mistress — model, philanthropist, and friend of the royals, Hanbury — into the mix, and suggesting that there may be a pregnancy involved, only added to the drama.
Additional theories claimed that the princess had been forcefully admitted to a mental health facility, which was meant to explain her sudden disappearance from the public eye. Again, there was zero evidence suggesting there was any truth to the theory, but that didn't stop people from discussing the possibility of death. In fact, Hanbury's lawyers denied any affair to Business Insider in March 2024, saying that "the rumors are completely false."
An imposter, or Katie Holmes, has been impersonating Kate
In March 2024, the first photo of Kate Middleton was released following her retreat from the public eye following her abdominal surgery. The grainy image purportedly showed Kate riding in a car with her mother, Carole Middleton, but the blurry quality of the picture led to questions about the princess' wellbeing. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before online commentators started questioning whether the person photographed in the vehicle was actually Kate or not.
Further stoking people's suspicions, one X user wrote, "idk who's that in that wig but that's not kate middleton." Attaching a seemingly enhanced version of the photo from an unknown source, another user took to the platform and wrote, "Katie Holmes in the role of a lifetime." This quickly led to the general public discussing whether or not "Dawson's Creek" star Katie Holmes was impersonating Kate Middleton amid her disappearance.
This particular — probably tongue-in-cheek — conspiracy theory was quickly shown to be untrue when Holmes was photographed attending a gala in New York City on the same day she was supposedly photographed alongside Kate's mom outside of Windsor Castle. Still, the endless speculation regarding the Princess of Wales only seemed to highlight her resemblance to Tom Cruise's ex-wife.
The royal was secretly appearing on The Masked Singer
Aside from the morbid and upsetting conjecturing regarding Kate Middleton's disappearance, there have also been some pretty hilarious guesses regarding her whereabouts. One in particular — that attracted a plethora of royal fans hoping it was true — was the suggestion that the Princess of Wales may have started appearing as a contestant on a popular singing competition show. "The Kate Middleton reveal on Masked Singer is going to make all of us look silly," one X user joked, and it's certainly amusing to wonder what the princess might dress up as if she were to appear on the quirky series.
Season 11 of "The Masked Singer" began airing in March 2024, which seemed perfectly timed with Kate's sudden vanishing from royal life. While rehearsing and competing on "The Masked Singer" would likely be incompatible with the schedule of a senior member of the royal family, the idea that Kate might have taken to singing on TV quickly became one of the funniest and most endearing conspiracy theories to do the rounds.
She donated an organ to King Charles
On February 5, 2024, it was revealed by Buckingham Palace that King Charles III had received a cancer diagnosis, having already undergone medical treatment for what was described as an enlarged prostate. As the palace wouldn't elaborate on the type of cancer Charles was being treated for, royal watchers were quick to speculate about the state of the monarch's health. In a case of exceedingly bad timing, Charles's revelation came soon after Kate Middleton's own concerning health announcement, with Kensington Palace revealing on January 17 that the princess had an abdominal surgery and would be taking a break from public engagements.
Considering the close proximity of Kate and Charles's health announcements, it wasn't long before the internet linked the two royals together. One TikTok user posted a video suggesting that Kate had, in fact, been hospitalized to donate an organ to Charles in order to save his life. While the organ donor theory may seem unlikely to most, it quickly gained traction online, with many wondering if Kate's long recovery time following her surgery was caused by an organ donation. As Buckingham Palace refused to offer any meaningful details regarding Charles' cancer diagnosis, it was presumably easy for those with a lack of real information to jump to conclusions.
Prince William allegedly verbally mistreated his wife
Kate Middleton and Prince William tied the knot in a fairytale wedding ceremony that was televised worldwide on April 29, 2011. Despite appearing to be the perfect royal couple, it wasn't long before their relationship was plagued by rumors that Prince William had cheated on Kate. Amid Kate's disappearance from the public eye in 2024, some onlookers started to allege that William and Kate's relationship was in trouble.
Previously, in April 2023, Marca reported that the prince had treated his wife rather badly, allegedly engaging in mental abuse. A so-called source even alleged to the publication, "Kate's really been through the wringer lately ... The way William treats her is just awful, and it's been really hard on her. She's such a strong person, but even she has her breaking point."
One TikTok user seemed to buy into the theory that Prince William was allegedly abusive to his wife, captioning their video, "William gives me the chills." They went on to disparage William, and suggest that he wasn't supportive of Kate at all. Meanwhile, an online commentator on X quoted Prince Harry's account of a fight with his brother from his 2023 memoir, "Spare," and suggested that Kate might have been subjected to similar treatment by her husband. Of course, without a shred of verified evidence, it's impossible to know the true nature of Kate and William's marriage.
Kate decided to emulate the movie Gone Girl
Kate Middleton's decision to step back from public life after reportedly undergoing abdominal surgery led some fans to question whether the royal was emulating the 2014 movie "Gone Girl," which stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. The David Fincher-directed movie is based on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn and focuses on a husband's reaction when his wife mysteriously goes missing. While attempting to uncover evidence regarding his wife, Amy's, whereabouts, Nick is named as the prime suspect in her alleged murder. Meanwhile, Amy has successfully fled, framing her husband in the process.
"Kate Middleton being in her Gone Girl Era is fascinating," one TikTok user captioned a video regarding the royal's disappearance. At the same time, memes were swiftly generated placing Kate in her very own version of the popular thriller. With rumors that Prince William allegedly fathered a child with alleged mistress Rose Hanbury swirling, Kate's "Gone Girl" theory only gained more weight, with some spectators seemingly excited for the denouement of this particular story. Sure, it's pretty unlikely that Kate has left a series of clues setting up her husband for her murder, but it's definitely a movie the world would watch on the day of its release.
Prince William is like 'a fourth child' to Kate
Kate Middleton and Prince William have welcomed three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. However, according to one royal expert, the Princess of Wales may have her hands full at home.
In an interview with Express (via Marie Claire), royal expert and author Tom Quinn suggested that William's allegedly immature behavior caused Kate a lot of work, citing a source who was allegedly close to the royals. "Kate treats him like the fourth child because he's prone to tantrums," Quinn alleged. The biographer also suggested that Kate and William allegedly had arguments that escalated, saying, "But, where some couples have a row and throw heavy vases at each other, William and Kate throw cushions at each other."
Quinn posited that speaking up about William's behavior wouldn't necessarily be an option for Kate, particularly as members of the royal family are meant to suck it up and display nothing but decorum in public. "They very rarely complain, and when they do, it's always in measured terms," he told the outlet. Considering the fact that previous reports have suggested that William can also be moody, it seems possible that Kate's home life is far from idyllic.
Kate underwent a Brazilian butt lift
One of the most outrageous theories about Kate Middleton's disappearance suggested that the respected royal may have undergone a Brazilian butt lift, or extensive plastic surgery, during her absence. Sharing a screenshot of the expected recovery time of anyone undergoing a Brazilian butt lift, or BBL, one X user wrote, "Kate Middleton hasn't been seen for about 2 months now." While it seems highly unlikely that the Princess of Wales would ever undergo such an obvious procedure, that didn't stop onlookers from wondering if plastic surgery may be the reason that Kate had all but vanished from society.
A Reddit user also suggested that Kate could have undergone a BBL, rather than abdominal surgery, theorizing, "That's why her recovery has been so long and brutal." In response, a fellow user wrote, "super weird of her to get it right as its going out of style," while another suggested that Kate's surgical procedure may have, in fact, been an eyelid lift instead. Whatever the truth of the matter, it's clear that royal fans have enjoyed posing new theories regarding the princess' disappearance, however strange or unexpected they may be.
She was abducted by aliens
Someone call Mulder and Scully, because Kate Middleton might really be in trouble. Following suggestions that Kate may have undergone invasive plastic surgeries or entered a mental health facility, internet sleuths next claimed that the princess may have been abducted by aliens. No, really. While most people were (hopefully) joking, the theory started being widely shared online. "My theory is that Kate Middleton has been kidnapped by aliens who are only letting her out to go to the farm shop, because they have discovered farmhouse cheese and overpriced locally pressed juices," one X user posted in March 2024. A plethora of royal fans shared similar sentiments, with some including GIFs of alien spaceships and flying saucers.
In an interview with The Washington Post, PR crisis consultant Mark Borkowski said, "[The palace is] struggling with the age of social media where any news vacuum is filled with the most ridiculous theories ... like 'Kate is dead' or ... she was 'abducted by aliens.' That one got a lot of traction." While the royal family's handling of Kate's absence has only stoked strange and unbelievable online rumors, the alien abduction theory was surely the most out-of-this-world.
Kate entered rehab
Alongside the theory that Kate Middleton may have been admitted to a mental health facility, some conspiracists suggested that the princess may have entered a rehabilitation center for an alleged undisclosed condition. One X user pointed to a Daily Mail article titled, "How I cured my sleeping pill addiction at a £72,000-a-week rehab clinic loved by royals and world leaders," suggesting that Kate may have enlisted the help of such an organization. While there appeared to be zero evidence that Kate was actually being treated in a rehab facility for a condition of any kind, that didn't stop rumors from multiplying like Gremlins when they eat after midnight.
"#KateMiddleton is either in rehab (or in a VERY bad state like the Spanish media have been saying since the beginning)," one X post suggested, attempting to give further credence to the idea that the princess' health had badly declined. Meanwhile, other onlookers suggested that Kate may have hooked up with comedian Pete Davidson during her time away from the royal limelight, with one person writing on X, "I very much need Kate Middleton to be missing because she went to rehab and whilst in rehab she has met a man named Pete." Considering Davidson's dating history, and his penchant for dating some of the world's most famous women, it doesn't seem completely out of the question that the princess could fall for his charms. Sorry, Prince William.
Thomas Kingston's death spurred conspiracy theories
On February 27, 2024, it was reported that Thomas Kingston, who was married to King Charles III's second cousin, Lady Gabriella, had died. An inquest into Kingston's death later revealed that a gun had been discovered at the site of his death and that the cause of his death was a "traumatic head wound," via the BBC. A funeral followed on March 12, which was attended by members of the royal family including Prince William. While Kingston's family was likely reeling from the huge tragedy, conspiracy theorists decided to combine his death with Kate Middleton's mysterious disappearance, thereby creating an incredibly offensive rumor.
In one upsetting conspiracy theory, an X user alleged, "Princess Kate was forced to have an abortion against her will, #ThomasKingston was the father of the aborted fetus and that's why he was recently murdered, now the UK elite are trying to control the narrative and they are bad at it." As Kingston reportedly previously dated Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, it seems unlikely that there was a remote shred of truth to the distasteful rumors regarding his death. But it had also become glaringly clear that conspiracy theorists and social media rumor generators will jump to even the wildest of conclusions, especially if it generates engagement.