When Kate Middleton underwent abdominal surgery in January, Kensington Palace offered few details on the specifics. And in the weeks that followed, theories about the Princess of Wales’ procedure were everywhere on the social networks.
Now we know that Kate was diagnosed with cancerand our thoughts are with her and her loved ones as she embarks on her road to recovery.
As you have certainly heard, Kate was absent from public life since the day she went under the knife.
The situation has raised concerns about her health and questions about what kind of operation left the Princess of Wales sidelined for so long.
Kate took to Instagram this afternoon to update the world on her diagnosis.
But before that, royal watchers took to social media to offer theories that ranged from entirely possible to patently absurd.
Here’s what they came up with:
Kate Middleton surgery theories: why did the Princess of Wales go under the knife?
Kensington Palace initially said very little about Kate’s condition, but officials confirmed that she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
Obviously, this description could refer to multiple procedures, and royal watchers have some ideas about Kate’s operation and why it’s taking her so long to recover.
Crohn’s disease
About X (previously Twitter), a popular theory was that Kate was battling Crohn’s disease.
It’s a type of inflammatory bowel disease, and a corrective procedure may have left Kate avoiding the spotlight for several reasons:
She could have undergone a resection that left her temporarily dependent on a colostomy bag, or the use of prednisone or other steroid medications could have altered her appearance.
Hysterectomy
Another common theory was that Kate underwent a hysterectomy.
As is the case with many surgeries, recovery from hysterectomies can vary greatly from one patient to another, and it is not unreasonable that complications could have kept Kate bedridden for nearly two months.
In a recent TMZdocumentary produced, supported by Dr. George Crawford the theory of hysterectomy and explained that the operation can sometimes require the removal of additional organs, requiring a much longer convalescence.
But while many surgeries involve long recovery periods, Kate’s recovery took place mostly behind closed doors, a situation that led many to conclude she was keeping some kind of secret.
Plastic surgery
This was one of the reasons why many theorists were convinced that Kate had undergone some kind of cosmetic procedure.
There is nothing inherently wrong with plastic surgery, of course, but royalty is held to a very high standard of decorum, and the British tabloid press is notoriously relentless in its criticism of the king and company.
So if Kate had gone under the knife for some sort of pinching procedure, she might have decided to go to great lengths to keep the matter under wraps – which is her right, of course.
Did Prince William cheat on Kate?
And there were the theories about Kate’s disappearance that had nothing to do with her medical condition.
Many were convinced that Kate stepped away from her royal duties because she was furious about allegations from a affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury.
However, there has been no confirmation of such a case, and we now know that Kate’s recent decision to keep a low profile was in fact linked to her surgery.
In the wake of today’s diagnosis, we hope people around the world will come together to offer their best wishes to Kate and her loved ones.
We will have more updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
