Since Kate Middleton vanished from public appearances around Christmas 2023, there has been a disputed picture of the Princess of Wales in a car with her mother, and a photo of Middleton with her children, which turned out to be doctored. Reports have now emerged that Middleton was seen in public, but at first, there was no photo evidence.
In case you’re not a royal follower, in late 2023, Buckingham Palace said Middleton, 42, was having abdominal surgery for an undisclosed reason and that she’d recover in the hospital for about two weeks. After that, Middleton might not return to her royal duties until Easter 2024, the palace said. The secrecy surrounding Middleton’s procedure, the length of her recovery time, and the fact she hasn’t been seen in public since has caused people all over the world to speculate what might have happened to her.
On Mother’s Day in the U.K., the royal family released a photo of Middleton with her children, possibly to calm people’s fears. But the AP and Reuters, among other outlets, issued a kill notice on the image because it was edited. And that only made matters worse.
Kate Middleton was supposedly seen with Prince William
On Sunday, March 17th, The Sun reported that Kate Middleton was seen in public for the first time in months along with her husband, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, the future British king. The outlet said Middleton looked “happy, relaxed, and healthy” as she browsed the Windsor Farm Shop with her hubby, located about a mile from William and Kate’s Adelaide Cottage home.
Kate and William reportedly dropped by the shop after watching their children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, play sports. The children, however, weren’t with Kate and William at the Farm Shop, which sells plants, flowers, and baked goods, according to TMZ. Speaking with The Sun, one anonymous witness said, “After all the rumors that had been going `round I was stunned to see them there.”
No photos and only anonymous witnesses
While it’s plausible that a married couple in their 40s would seek some retail therapy at a plant shop, especially with spring right around the corner, the fact there were no photos taken of Middleton and William, one of the most-photographed couples in the British Isles, seemed suspicious, even in normal circumstances.
Meanwhile, none of the purported witnesses spoke to The Sun on the record, so until we saw more evidence, we were skeptical the Middleton sighting happened. Furthermore, The Sun article seemed to insist that all is well between the royal couple when rumors have suggested domestic abuse and infidelity which felt a little too “on the nose.” For these reasons, when the farm store story broke, our verdict was “Doesn’t sound sus at ALL!!!” like BigSexxy wrote on X.
The video evidence
The day after The Sun story, TMZ shared video evidence of William and Kate at the Farm Shop. Kate was smiling widely, walking side-by-side with her husband in casual athletic wear, while her movements seemed no longer hindered by her surgery. There was no apparent sign of tension between her and William as they carried bags brimming with their recent purchases. So, does that clip finally put the speculation to rest? Like everything else about the Kate Middleton saga, online sleuths will break the footage down frame-by-frame and draw their conclusions. We’ll let you know what they decide.
