Sheryl Crow's Joke About Kate Middleton Has Royal Fans Up In Arms

It's been months since royal fans have seen Catherine, Princess of Wales at a royal event. Weeks after Kate appeared with the royal family for Christmas 2023, Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that the princess had abdominal surgery and needed to clear her calendar through Easter to recuperate. The palace emphasized Kate's desire to protect her private health info and noted from the start that updates would be limited.  In the absence of concrete info, however, rumors have abounded, as people endeavor to figure out why Kate's recovery could be taking so long. Some of this speculation includes worrisome claims, like Concha Calleja's assertion that Kate was in a coma. On the flip side, some of the other conjecture is pure silliness, like the belief that Kate is staying out of the spotlight until she grows out her bangs. 

Now Sheryl Crow's inserted herself into the morass of Kate-related gossip by making a joke on X (formerly Twitter). On February 28, the music icon posted a brief video announcing her upcoming appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," writing in the caption: "I'm going to be on @JimmyKimmelLive tonight. But where's Kate Middleton?" In the video, Crow can be seen telling a person out of the frame, "If you can speed it up — I'm meeting Kate Middleton for lunch."

Royal fans were not amused at Crow's attempted levity. Some reiterated palace-provided info that Kate was at home recuperating. Others clapped back at Crow. "You have so many things happening in the world that you can focus on rather than riding this 'where's Kate?' non-sense!," one admonished.

After Sheryl Crow joked about Catherine, Princess of Wales' activities during her absence from the spotlight, some royal fans observed that Crow might have been more empathetic. "When you were going through your medical situation did people give you privacy? If not they should have," a user commented on X. Crow's had her own share of tragic struggles, including a 2006 breast cancer diagnosis, weeks after her high-profile breakup with Lance Armstrong. At the time, Crow had to deal with rumors that the cyclist left because of her diagnosis. To make matters worse, the paparazzi pursued her while she was receiving cancer treatment.

Like the current speculation surrounding Kate's recovery, Crow's also been the subject of wild internet conjecture. One fan brought this up in response to Crow's intended joke about Kate, observing, "I thought you were dead and you're here asking about Catherine?" This comment references a 2017 situation when Kid Rock proclaimed he was campaigning for the U.S. Senate. The news launched a rumor that Crow was dead after someone tweeted she was "rolling in her grave" at Kid Rock's announcement. At the time, Crow retweeted the post and debunked the claim quickly.

In the meantime, after William, Prince of Wales skipped a memorial service for King Constantine on February 27, a palace source reassured fans, informing People that Kate "continues to be doing well" in her recovery.