Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, weeks after announcing news of her abdominal surgery. Some fans speculated that her health issues were part of a cover-up to surgically refine her appearance. InTouch Weekly sought out Dr. Ramitn Kassir of Kassir Plastic Surgery, who laid out why Middleton could’ve been getting a secret tummy tuck. “Tummy tucks are serious procedures that require up to two weeks of recovery and downtime, which is in line with what the family has announced about Kate’s own recovery plan,” shared Kassir in January. “Also, Kate’s surgery was clarified to be non-life threatening and planned, suggesting it may be an elective surgery such as a tummy tuck.”

Some fans crafted a new theory about Middleton’s treatment, accusing the royal of getting a facelift during her time away from public duties. Access Hollywood even discussed the public’s speculation, which ramped up after paparazzi photos of her riding in a car with her mother Carole Middleton spread online this spring, adding another layer to the ongoing mystery about her health. “There were some people suggesting that she’d had a face lift. Other people were saying that she was in a coma,” said Charlie Langston of The Daily Mail in comments. And while Langston was hopeful that fans would let the outlandish theories die after seeing the photo, that’s far from what’s happened in recent months.