Video Appears To Show Kate Middleton And Prince William Shopping

18 Mar 2024

Forbes

Topline

A video published by two tabloid outlets, TMZ and The Sun, on Monday appeared to show the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, walking with her husband, Prince William, over the weekend—as rumors and conspiracy theories of her whereabouts after a reported surgery continue to swirl.

The Princess of Wales hadn’t been seen out and about—with the exception of a few blurry photos ... [+] reported to be of her in a car—in nearly three months.

Samir Hussein/WireImage Key Facts

The footage, which was shared by TMZ and the Sun though the videographer was not identified, appeared to show Kate and William walking down a street holding shopping bags.

The Sun reported that the video was taken Saturday in Windsor after the couple went to the Windsor Farm Shop.

Kate has not been seen on video in months—the last time being Dec. 25, 2023, before Kensington Palace announced she was having a “planned abdominal surgery” and would be recovering at home.

Conspiracy theories about Kate have increased in recent weeks after a series of strange events, including the cancelation of her first public appearance since the surgery and her apologizing for sharing an edited photo that was distributed by the Palace.

What To Watch For

Whether the Palace or Windsor Farm Shop releases any statement. The Sun claimed William and Kate were spotted looking “happy, relaxed and healthy” at the Farm Shop over the weekend, though no pictures were circulated and Kensington Palace and the Windsor Farm Shop both refused to confirm or deny the report to People magazine.

Key Background

Kate has been almost completely out of the public eye since she was last seen on Christmas, and conspiracy theories about her health and relationship with William have increased in recent weeks after a series of strange events. In early March, the Ministry of Defence removed Kate’s name from a website advertising its Trooping the Colour parade, which would have been her first scheduled appearance since the reported surgery. Then, just five days later, Kensington Palace posted a photo of Kate and her three children for Mother’s Day, but the picture was quickly retracted by the Associated Press and other major news wires because of concerns it had been digitally manipulated. The Palace issued an apology signed by Kate in which she said she, “like many amateur photographers,” edited the picture herself and was sorry for “any confusion” it caused—though the palace reportedly declined to release the unedited version. The Palace has maintained Kate’s recovery was going well and said it would only comment to issue major updates.

Surprising Fact

After Kensington Palace shared the edited photo of Kate and her three children, Agence France-Presse, one of the world's biggest news agencies, said the Palace is no longer a “trusted source.” AFP’s global news director said the decision to kill the photo had previously only been taken for news from the “North Korean news agency or the Iranian news agency.”