Before Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer on Friday, she had been mostly absent from the public eye since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
Kate’s health and whereabouts became the subject of frenzied speculation, despite the palace reiterating that it had “made clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery” and that the public should not expect to see her until after Easter.
Kate was first seen in public earlier this month after she was spotted in Windsor wearing dark sunglasses and sitting in the front passenger seat of a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton.
Speculation about Kate’s health continued, putting pressure on the family to reveal more details.
Trying to put rumors to rest: In what appeared to be an attempt to end the rumors, Kate published an official photograph of her and her three children — George, Charlotte and Louis — on Mother’s Day, which was marked in the UK on March 10.
But instead of ending the speculation, it fueled it instead. Members of the public swiftly noticed several irregularities in the image. After a day of more amateur sleuthing, Kate admitted that she had edited the photograph, and apologized. Multiple global news agencies recalled the image from circulation hours later, citing manipulation concerns.
Records investigation: Most recently, the UK’s data watchdog said earlier this week that it is “assessing” reports that a staff member at the London Clinic allegedly tried to access Kate’s private medical records.
