My view on the timeline
December 25, 2023: the last time Kate Middleton was seen in public during the royal family’s annual Christmas walk to church in Sandringham
December 28, 2023: Kate Middleton is reportedly admitted to hospital
January 17, 2024: Kensington palace announces that Kate Middleton has undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” and that she will remain in hospital for “10 to 14 days before returning home to continue her recovery”
although the official statement says that the surgery was planned, it also goes on to say that she has had to “postpone her upcoming engagements” which is odd because if the surgery was planned, why would she have engagements scheduled during the recovery period?
the statement also says that she will not be undertaking public duties until after easter, which is march 31, which is just over 10 weeks after the surgery took place
also on January 17, 2024: Buckingham palace announces that King Charles as sought treatment for an enlarged prostate and he will be going to the hospital a week later for a “corrective procedure”
now it is WILD that these were announced on the same day, merely hours apart. it’s also noteworthy that while Kate’s surgery was announced after the fact, Charles’ procedure was announced a week in advance.
January 18, 2024: one day after Kate’s surgery was announced, Prince William is seen visiting her in hospital
January 18: people magazine states that “William has shifted his schedule to support his wife” and “is expected to postpone engagements to be by Kate’s side and support their family.” they have three children: George (10), Charlotte (8), and Louis (5)
January 21: Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and ex-wife of Prince Andrew (yes that one) is diagnosed with skin cancer after being treated for breast cancer in June 2023
January 26: King Charles undergoes his procedure for an enlarged prostate in the same facility where Kate Middleton is recovering. people magazine states that “King Charles also paid a visit to the Princess of Wales in the same hospital ahead of his own surgery”
January 27: Camilla, Charles’ wife, visits him in hospital three times within 24 hours
January 29: Kensington palace announces that Kate has “returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery” and that she is “making good progress”. there are no photos of her leaving the hospital.
February 5: Buckingham Palace announces that king Charles has been diagnosed with cancer and has “commenced a schedule of regular treatments” but says that he will still be undertaking “state business and official paperwork”
interesting to note is that this statements concludes with saying that Charles chose to share his diagnosis “to prevent speculation”, which almost seems like a shot at the Wales’ secrecy surrounding Kate’s health and the increasing rumours
William undertakes his first official engagement since Kate’s release from hospital
February 7: prince harry flies from California to the UK to see his father after his cancer diagnosis announcement
February 8: prince harry leaves the UK after 24 hours to fly home to California after a 45-minute visit with his father
February 18: prince William attends the bafta awards
February 21: Kate’s sister, Pippa, is seen in St Bart’s with her husband and children, however the photos are not dated.
February 23: BP releases a video of the king reading get-well cards that were sent to him. it has now been 60 days since Kate Middleton was seen in public or photographed.
February 25: Thomas Kingston, husband of lady Gabriella Windsor (daughter of Prince Michael of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth) is found dead at age 45. police have said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his sudden death.
Kingston ran in the same circles as the royals and was even rumoured to have dated Pippa Middleton in 2011, around the time of William and Kate’s wedding.
February 27: prince William pulls out of attending the funeral of the late King Constantine of Greece, his godfather, due to a “personal matter.” William was scheduled on the order of service to do a reading
the “royal source” who broke the news also said that Kate Middleton “continues to be doing well”, despite her not being seen or photographed in 64 days at this point
now at this point the general public has caught on to the fact that Kate’s absence continues to be glaringly obvious. with her and king Charles out of commission, and William largely MIA, royal duties have fallen to other members of the royal family
this is a problem bc a lot of those members are older. Camilla (76), Princess Anne (73), prince Edward (59) and duchess Sophie (59) are undertaking the bulk of duties atm. since the queen’s death and Harry and Meghan’s retreat, the family has lost a lot of its brand’s star power
many have also pointed out that the British press seems to have left Kate alone and not pressed for more info, while Meghan was essentially left out to dry by the institution and was subject to abuse by the media while pregnant with archie and suffered a miscarriage in 2020
February 29 in response to rapid speculation on social media, a KP rep tells page six that she’s “doing well” but that they won’t be providing updates on her condition. it has now been 66 days since Kate was seen in public