What To Know About Reporter Concha Calleja's Claims Kate Middleton Was In A Coma

When Kensington Palace first announced Catherine, Princess of Wales was undergoing abdominal surgery, it indicated that Kate did not wish to disclose the details surrounding the experience. The January 17th announcement also acknowledged that there would be public curiosity and concern about Kate's lengthy recuperation period. Unfortunately, while the princess is forecast to refrain from public appearances until after Easter and the palace has declined to provide any additional info since she was discharged from the hospital, rumors about Kate's health crisis have abounded.

One significant allegation is that complications of Kate's surgery required her to be placed in an induced coma. Speaking on "Fiesta," a Spanish TV show, host Concha Calleja asserted that, although Kate's operation was successful, some unexpected complications occurred afterwards. "The decision was to put her in an induced coma. They had to intubate her," Calleja claimed (via The Times). "It was about saving her life." Calleja went on to claim that Kate would need extensive equipment and personnel to care for her while she recovered at home.

Calleja's statements were unequivocally dismissed by a palace source. "No attempt was made by that journalist to fact-check anything that she said with anyone in the household," this individual informed The Times. "It's absolutely not the case." The palace also dismissed Calleja's assertion that Kate had initially been admitted to the hospital on December 28.  However, Calleja hasn't been content to let the matter rest.

After the Palace said Concha Calleja's claims about Catherine, Princess of Wales being in a coma following abdominal surgery were false, the journalist reiterated her assertions on the Spanish show "Fiesta." "I still stand by everything I've said, despite the regrets," Callaja affirmed (via Marca). "I have touched nerves, and nerve always hurts, and that is what has happened. There has not been a single statement denying this, not a single one. I trust my source."

On January 29, Kensington Palace reported that Kate was making positive strides and convalescing at home. Her departure from the hospital was in line with the 10-14 day stay predicted in the palace's initial statement on January 17. While Kate's continued absence from the public eye remains a concern for royal watchers, is appears that she is making progress. "Catherine is recovering well," a friend informed the Daily Mail on February 9. At the time, the Wales family was about to make a trip to their country estate, Amner Hall, while their three children had vacation from school. "She was looking forward to a change of scene and will be able to take it easy."

This isn't the first time Callaja has made startling claims about the royal family. She's authored two books about Princess Diana, one of which includes her personal investigation into Diana's death. Besides looking at autopsy documentation, Callaja indicates that some of her sources in the book are British spies.