Kate Middleton has been a member of the royal family for more than a decade. While she has had her fair share of ups and downs, today, she has become one of the most beloved royal family members among the public.
This year has been a massive challenge for Kate and her family, as she first underwent abdominal surgery and later received a cancer diagnosis. Today, she is on her way to recovery, and some weeks ago, she made her first public appearance for the year during Trooping the Colour.
This year’s visit to the doctor isn’t the first time Kate Middleton has been at a hospital. She was in a “rotten” condition when pregnant with George, and when she was young, she had surgery. Some years ago, a British doctor made a shocking claim that Kate had been getting botox – and the palace didn’t wait long to respond.
Some weeks ago, Kate Middleton’s royal return at the Trooping the Colour was a magical moment for fans worldwide. This year has undoubtedly been challenging for the royal family because of the many health scares. It all began in January when Kate Middleton was hospitalized and underwent what was called a “planned” abdominal surgery.
Kate Middleton
According to the palace, the surgery was “successful,” but Kate remained at the hospital for nearly two weeks.
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the palace said. “She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
“The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements,” the statement continued. “She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.”
While the plan was that Kate would return to royal duties after Easter, that we know didn’t happen. In mid-March, Kate revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
Exactly how she is doing today is not known, but gladly, her return to the royal stage, when she appeared during the Trooping the Colour celebration, tells us that she is on the path to a full recovery.
It is not known whether Kate Middleton has been to the hospital and received treatment or if she has gotten it at home. Although she spent almost two weeks at the London Clinic after her January surgery, it’s not the first time that she has had surgery or been admitted to the hospital.
Kate Middleton’s several visits to the hospital
As a child, she had a three-inch scar on the left side of her head. The scar was first spotted at a private dinner at Clarence House in 2011 when Kate conducted her first solo royal engagement.
Later, an official statement explained that “the scar related to a childhood operation,” however details remained private.
Sources told the Daily Mail that it had been “a very serious operation,” while surgeons said it was unlikely the result of a tumor but instead that the scar was caused by a birthmark being removed.
In July 2013, William and Kate welcomed their firstborn son, George. The world was waiting for the exciting announcement that he had been born, not only because it was a royal baby but a future king.
Just hours after his birth, Prince George made his first public appearance in front of a huge crowd outside the Lindo Wing in Paddington, London. But leaving the hospital was, according to Kate, “terrifying.”
Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, the Princess of Wales was asked how it was to welcome a life into this world while she knew thousands of people wanted to know about it and see the young boy.
“Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie. I like to decompartmentalize – what’s the word – compartmentalize, yes, the whole thing.” She also explained that she decided to follow in her late mother-in-law Diana’s footsteps and pose on the hospital steps with her little bundle of joy, as per the Mirror.
“It wasn’t a place I wanted to hang around in”
“Everyone had been so supportive, and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about, and you know we’re hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important.”
The Princess of Wales continued, “But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”
Further, Fletcher asked Kate if she remembered how long she had between giving birth to George and later posing on the Lindo Wing steps.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t remember. Everything goes in a bit of a blur,” Kate replied.
She concluded, “I think, yeah, I did stay in hospital overnight. I remember it was one of the hottest days and nights with huge thunderstorms, so I didn’t get a huge amount of sleep, but George did, which was really great. I was keen to get home because, for me, being in hospital, I had all the memories of being in hospital because of being sick so it wasn’t a place I wanted to hang around in. So, I was really desperate to get home and get back to normality.”
Ultimately, William, Kate, and the other royals aren’t more or less human than anybody else. That said, the Princess of Wales had struggles like many others when she was pregnant.
Kate Middleton revealed her “rotten” sickness
In 2012, when she was pregnant with George, she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, which is acute morning sickness. She had to go to the hospital, an experience she recalled as “rotten.”
Kate had the same experience when pregnant with Charlotte and Louis, and in 2014, she had to cancel a royal tour because of her diagnosis.
Last year, during a visit to the Orchards Centre in Kent, the Princess of Wales decided to open up about her experience with acute morning sickness.
As reported by Express, Kate spoke to a father whose wife went through the same thing and told him: “I went through that. I know what that feels like.”
In 2020, Kate Middleton was a guest on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, speaking on her condition.
“[It was] utterly rotten. I was really sick,” she said. “I wasn’t eating the things I should be eating and yet the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating.”
“William didn’t feel he could do much to help and it’s hard to see you’re suffering without actually being able to do anything about it.”
Kate Middleton used meditation to help her
Kate Middleton added that she “quite liked” labor because she had felt bad during her pregnancy.
“Because actually, it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to,” she explained. “But I know some people have really, really difficult times, so it’s not for everybody. No pregnancy is the same, no birth is the same.”
Moreover, Kate began meditating and deep breathing – which helped.
“I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick,” she said. “I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people.”
The podcast host Giovanna Fletcher later asked, “Have you had it every time or just the first time?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” Kate responded. “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 – and I think that’s the thing – being pregnant and having a newborn baby and things like that, impacts everybody in the family.”
Kate Middleton’s hospital visits have always ended with good results. However, a few years ago, a British doctor claimed that the Princess of Wales had visited another clinic.
Plastic surgeon claimed Kate Middleton had injected “baby botox”
In July 2019, Dr. Munir Somji, a British plastic surgeon, shared a side-by-side photo of Kate Middleton on Instagram, claiming that she had received Botox.
“Our Kate loves a bit of baby Botox,” he wrote in a caption to the photos, which since have been deleted.
“Note the reduction of fine lines on the forehead,” he added. “But also note the depression of the medial (middle part) brow but elevation of the lateral tail of the brow.”
Baby Botox is pretty much the same as traditional Botox; however, it’s given in lighter doses, resulting in a more natural and somber look than the “frozen” effect.
“It prevents wrinkles but you’ll still have movement. It acts like a little complexion freshener,” Pamela Benito, a cosmetic dentist and aesthetic medicine specialist, told Byrdie.
Dr. Munir Somji’s claim that Kate had received botox was quickly backlashed. Speaking with Page Six, Sammy Curry, the marketing manager of the Dr. Medi Spa Clinic, felt the need to explain that the phrase “our Kate” was meant to describe “The UK’s Kate” and not suggest that Kate had or was a patient at their clinic.
“We wouldn’t be able to disclose whether she is a client or not,” marketing manager Sammy Curry said. “We have non-disclosure agreements where we can’t disclose our high-end clients, we absolutely can’t comment at all that she has come to us.”
“Categorically not true”
Sammy Curry added that the doctor had posted the pictures of Kate on Instagram because “he thought it was a good comparison picture to use to show the effects of Botox and obviously baby Botox which he does himself.”
“He just wanted to show the transformation that it can create and obviously how it can be used for subtle results and how it’s really good for anti-aging,” the marketing manager added.
Kensington Palace usually doesn’t comment on rumors made in the press. However, this time, the palace and Kate felt the need to act. In a statement to the New York Post, a spokesman for Kensington Palace said that the Dr. Medi Spa post was “categorically not true” and that “the Royal Family never endorses commercial activity.”
