Is Kate Middleton pregnant?

It’s really saying something when the King’s cancer diagnosis isn’t the biggest Royal Family news story in circulation. Although there is naturally much concern and speculation surrounding King Charles III’s ill health announcement, the greater talking point right now is his daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton.

As you may well have heard, the Princess of Wales has not been seen in public for the past few months, which is unthinkable for a royal, especially a future queen. The Palace has confirmed that Middleton underwent abdominal surgery in January, but nonetheless conspiracy theories have only grown and grown online, ranging from the absurd — that she’s preparing to join Celebrity Big Brother — to the sinister — that she’s secretly died. One that’s somewhere in the middle? The rumor that Princess Catherine is pregnant.

Could Kate Middleton be pregnant?

As the conspiracy theories about Kate’s disappearance go, the rumor that she’s pregnant is not one of the most outlandish. As anyone who has the Royal Family tree memorized will tell you, Kate already has three children with Prince William — Prince George (born 2013), Prince Charlotte (2015), and Prince Louis (2018). Queen Elizabeth II also had four children, so the couple rounding their brood up to that number is not impossible.

Nevertheless, many have noted that Kate has previously been very active both during and immediately after her prior pregnancies, which pours cold water on this theory. As one viral tweet reads, “You’re telling me that Kate Middleton — the same woman who posed outside the hospital like a freaking supermodel mere hours after giving birth — suddenly requires months of recovery before showing her face?”

Others, of course, are coming up with additions to the theory to explain the added secrecy — with some pondering if there could be a complication with this supposed pregnancy or even that the baby might not have William for a father. Like every conspiracy theory from us commoners, though, there is not a shred of evidence to suggest that Middleton really is pregnant. As those who have undergone abdominal surgery themselves have attested, sometimes you do simply need several weeks to recover.

Still, until Kate (hopefully) makes her grand return to the public eye soon, no doubt some will continue to be convinced that the real reason she’s not showing is because she’s… showing.