Details About Kate Middleton's Surgery That Just Don't Add Up

We couldn't help but do a double-take after reading the announcement of Kate Middleton's surgery. Shortly before Buckingham Palace announced King Charles III's planned hospitalization, Kensington Palace released a statement on January 17, 2024, that announced Catherine, Princess of Wales, was going into surgery. As much as we love the royals, we're feeling a little skeptical about the contents of this statement. 

While the announcement seemed wordy enough, it still felt rather empty, giving a whole lot of fluff and filler without giving the public actual, concrete details about Kate's hospital stay. One line, in particular, makes us believe that even Kensington Palace knew they were being borderline cryptic. "The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate," the announcement read, adding that Kate still desired that details about her health remain private at this time.

From extremely vague wording to a hospital stay that has sparked suspicion all over social media, we just don't believe Kate Middleton's surgery adds up.

The thing that has us most confused about Kate Middleton's surgery is her downright lengthy hospital stay. In their Instagram announcement, Kensington Palace announced that Kate was entering the hospital for "planned abdominal surgery." A planned surgery isn't cause for alarm in most cases, but it's not that part of the statement that has us feeling duped. 

Kate's expected stay in the hospital is a whopping 10-14 days, meaning the Princess of Wales is set to spend half a month recovering in the hospital after her "planned surgery." That enormous amount of days is what really got our "something's fishy" radar beeping. Most simple abdominal surgeries require a relatively short stay in the hospital. Per Verywell Health, most patients who go in for an abdominal surgery, such as appendectomy, will be released from the hospital within a few days, if not that same day. Since the Palace has yet to confirm Kate's official cause for entering the hospital, we're left in the dark as to why she's expected to recover in the hospital for so long.

Some royal fans have their own theories. "10-14 days??" one commenter wrote in sheer disbelief. "If you stay that long in an American hospital, your situation is dire." Another user echoed the opinion that Kate's health may be more at risk than the Palace is letting on, stating, "That sounds like a burst appendix. Wishing the Princess God's healing powers."

Kate Middleton's long hospital stay isn't the only part of the infamous declaration that has caused a buzz among royal fans. There's also the fact that the Princess of Wales is stepping back from royal duties for quite some time afterward. And Kensington Palace insists on remaining secretive about Kate's road to recovery during her extended hospital stay. Palace reps share that they will "only provide updates on Her Royal Highness' progress when there is significant new information to share." We understand the need for privacy during this difficult time, but when you're a public figure like Kate and you're in the hospital, it's only natural for fans to want more than a few scattered updates.

According to the statement, Kate isn't planning to return to her public duties until after Easter 2024. That's quite a long time for her to be away and for the public to go without hearing regular updates on a beloved royal. It's easy to see why some fans in the comment section of the Instagram post were a little suspicious. "If you didn't want anyone asking questions or interested, why even make an announcement?" one upset user commented. We can certainly agree with this sentiment.

Whatever the case, Kate does appear to be in good health at the moment, and for that, we are grateful. Per BBC, Her Royal Highness is doing well after her surgery and seems to be recovering as expected.