The announcement in January 2024 that Princess Catherine — or Kate, as she is known to her fans — had to undergo serious abdominal surgery sparked great concern among followers of the royal family.

To recover from the operation, she retreated to her house in Windsor — and remained silent.

The rumor mill quickly started churning. Various clues and photos were used to feed all sorts of assumptions.

Then in March, Kensington Palace, Prince William and Kate's official London residence, released a photo of a healthy, smiling Kate with her three children, to mark Mother's Day.

But news agencies flagged the photo after they determined it had been digitally manipulated. Shortly after, Kate admitted to having personally photoshopped the photo.

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That contributed to more speculative theories — was it an attempt to cover something up?

A week after "Kategate," the princess was seen strolling into a farm shop in Windsor, accompanied by her husband, where they bought bread. Another customer spotted the royal couple and filmed them with his cell phone, before telling the British Sun newspaper that Kate seemed happy and relaxed.

So was everything fine again now? Sadly........

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