Why Royal Fans Think Kate Middleton's Abdominal Surgery Is Related To Her Past Pregnancies
When it was announced that Catherine, Princess of Wales, had an abdominal surgery and would be taking a break from the public eye, rumors about her surgery drew suspicion. The official announcement didn't give any details on what Kate Middleton was going through, except it has been noted that it was not related to cancer. Some royal fans believe Kate Middleton's surgery was related to a side effect of her past pregnancies.
Kate and William, Prince of Wales, have three children: Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Prince Louis of Wales. During her pregnancies, Kate had an aggressive type of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. It typically only lasts during an expectant mother's pregnancy. However, some wonder if Kate's past hyperemesis gravidarum is why she had to have abdominal surgery. According to InTouch Weekly, Kate's procedure is speculated to have been laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, which is a stomach surgery supposed to help with acid reflux.
An insider for the outlet said, "Those pregnancies took a toll, but Kate bounced back and got through it. She's been very open about that. Hyperemesis gravidarum happens to a lot of women. If anything, she helped spread awareness."
During Kate's first pregnancy, she was hospitalized due to her hyperemesis gravidarum
When Catherine, Princess of Wales, was pregnant with Prince George of Wales in 2012, the Palace announced the pregnancy due to a hospitalization connected to her hyperemesis gravidarum. According to The Guardian, an official statement said, "As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter." The palace also released statements for Kate's second and third pregnancies, all of which referenced the hyperemesis gravidarum.
The intense morning sickness is one of the health problems Kate has addressed publicly. She opened up about dealing with it while speaking with Giovanna Fletcher in 2020 on the "Happy Mum Happy Baby" podcast. When asked about her first pregnancy, Kate said, "I got very bad morning sickness, so I'm not the happiest of pregnant people." After saying that she dealt with that during all three pregnancies Kate added, "Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge not just for me but also for your loved ones around you." She also remarked how it was difficult for William to watch her deal with that since he couldn't do anything to stop it.
Kate's family is taking care of her while she recovers
During her "Happy Mum Happy Baby" interview, Catherine, Princess of Wales, also said, "I was really sick. I wasn't eating the things I should be eating." Kate Middleton remarked how "fascinating" it was that despite that, her body was still able "to grow new life." Kate talked about trying hypnobirthing as well since she discovered that while she was feeling so ill: "I saw the power of it really, sort of the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick, and actually I realized that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labor. It was, yeah, hugely powerful."
As Kate recovers from her operation in 2024, her continued absence from the public eye is causing concern. Sadly, she missed the 2024 BAFTAs — an awards show that she and William, Prince of Wales, often attend together. However, it's been reported that William, along with his and Kate's kids, has taken charge of nursing the princess back to health amid her surgery recovery. Hopefully, the healing process will continue to go smoothly.
Royal insider debunked one wild surgery theory
An abdominal surgery can cover many different organs besides just the stomach — including but not limited to the intestines, the kidneys, the liver, or the uterus and ovaries. Although Catherine, Princess of Wales' history with hyperemesis gravidarum could be why she had surgery in January 2024, people have theorized other reasons. InTouch Weekly reported that additional speculation on Kate Middleton's surgery is that she had a hysterectomy, which is a procedure where the uterus is removed. That operation is a very common one, with Circle Health Group reporting that doctors perform roughly 55,000 hysterectomies annually in the United Kingdom.
Not every theory is so plausible. One reporter named Concha Calleja had a misinformed theory on the aftermath of Kate's abdominal surgery. According to The Times, Calleja spoke on a Spanish news program called "Fiesta" and claimed, "The decision was to put [Kate] in an induced coma. They had to intubate her. There were serious complications that they didn't expect because the operation went well, but the postoperative period didn't go so well."
This claim has since been denied by an insider from the palace. They told The Times, "It's total nonsense," and criticized Calleja for not verifying the story with the palace. They added, "It's fundamentally, totally made-up, and I'll use polite English here: It's absolutely not the case." After that rebuttal, Calleja said on "Fiesta" that she still believed her insider about the coma (via Marca), but it's hard to believe that story is true.