Kate Middleton Attempts To Settle Down The Latest Divorce Rumors With First Public Outing Of 2026

The year is still young, but it seems Catherine, Princess of Wales is already hard at work nipping those pesky divorce rumors in the bud. She made a surprise appearance alongside Prince William at the Charing Cross Hospital in London on January 8, 2026. Kate hasn't been out and about since attending church with the rest of the royal family on December 25, 2025, and given that her latest appearance hadn't been scheduled, it seems as though she seized the first available opportunity to show the world that she and William, Prince of Wales are still very much in love.

Kate's latest public outing comes after a clip of William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte arriving at Kensington Palace with overnight bags made the rounds on social media on January 6, 2026. One royal watcher posted the clip to X (formerly Twitter), surmising, "At least the coparenting appears to be going well ... It's been obvious for a while that Willy & Kate are separated & the kids shuttle between their parents' homes." There is no evidence that this is true, but the viral video reignited those William and Kate Middleton divorce rumors.

Kate and William appeared all loved-up during their visit to the hospital, with the princess empathizing with the cancer patients who find themselves spending a significant amount of time at the hospital. "I know," she told a volunteer, referring to her own cancer journey before reaching for William's arm in a gesture of comfort, repeating, "We know," per Hello!. Kate is sending a clear message — she and William are still very much a "we."

There's no such thing as a perfect marriage — even if you're a royal. In fact, many royal marriages have ended badly, and royal photographer Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News that Princess Catherine and Prince William's relationship wasn't exactly thriving before the Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis.

"William has been known for his outbursts and Kate has found ways of calming the situation down but personally, I feel after the cancer diagnosis and the threat of losing her, the closeness was rekindled," he asserted during a January 2026 interview. Royal expert Hilary Fordwich concurred, explaining, "Adversity either destroys a marriage or brings couples closer after shared adversity. Certainly, their marriage has resulted in the latter not the former. They never stoop down to ghastly gossip, which is most admirable."

There are many rumored reasons William and Kate stay together, and one of them, according to an insider who spoke to Star, is that William doesn't want his kids to go through the trauma of a divorce like he did. "As future king, William is fiercely determined to avoid that at all costs," the insider opined. This might very well be true, given that William alluded to just that while making an appearance on "The Reluctant Traveler" on Apple TV+. He told host Eugene Levy that he doesn't intend to follow in the footsteps of King Charles III and Princess Diana as far as divorce is concerned, especially because he never wants his kids to live through that nightmare (via People). Divorce rumors might abound, but it appears William and Kate are taking the "until death do us part" vow very seriously.