The Kate Middleton mystery has been solved – but not so fast.
The saga of the missing princess took a turn, as Middleton, 42, was finally spotted on a trip to a local farm shop via footage released on Monday.
A “happy, healthy, and relaxed” Middleton and husband Prince William, 41, were seen stopping by a local farm shop near Windsor Castle over the weekend.
In a video obtained by TMZ, Middleton can be seen smiling and looking like she’s in good spirits, walking quickly. She looks casual with little to no makeup. Her hair is longer than usual, and she’s carrying bags.
But, some social media skeptics still doubt that the footage is really Middleton.
“Doesn’t really look like her and DEF doesn’t look like the person in the car with Carol. Even a little iffy on it being William tbh,” one royal watcher said about the video, referring to the photo of Middleton in the car with her mother, Carole Middleton, that came out on March 4.
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“Look, I’m not saying that’s not Kate Middleton in that TMZ scoop. I’m just saying that if it were revealed it’s not Kate Middleton, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised,” another said.
“That isn’t her,” another royal watcher asserted. “Higher cheek bones, different smile, different walk, slimmer build. Carrying bag after abdo surgery. Body double.”
The Princess of Wales has barely been seen in public since her planned abdominal surgery in January.
Conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and the reason for her long absence have abounded on social media.
Kate Middleton has barely been in public since January. Getty Images Kate Middleton was finally spotted on an outing to the Windsor Farm Shop. Maureen McLean/Shutterstock Kate Middleton was finally spotted in public. Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt hasn’t helped matters that William, 41, has ignored questions about his wife’s condition and her recovery from her unspecified medical issue.
Last week, Middleton’s staffers claimed they had not seen or spoken to the princess in recent weeks, and were not aware of her health woes until after her surgery.
Circumstances got more bizarre when Kensington Palace released a Mother’s Day photo of Middleton smiling with her children.
The photo was subsequently recalled by news agencies, which claimed the snapshot was “manipulated.”
The photo was meant to end the speculation about Middleton’s absence from the limelight, but it backfired, and increased the wild theories about what was going on with Middleton.
Kate Middleton was caught on camera visiting Windsor Farm Shop, but some fans weren’t convinced. Maureen McLean/Shutterstock Kate Middleton was finally seen in public, but not every royal watcher is convinced. UK Press via Getty Images “I thought, ‘Let’s all just ignore this. We’ve moved on,’ until the Photoshop thing,” said John Oliver. Prince of Wales/Kensington Palac / MEGAStephen Colbert even did a segment about William having an alleged mistress, Rose Hanbury, prompting Hanbury to speak out (via attorneys) to deny the claim.
During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen,” John Oliver commented, “I was out. I thought, ‘Let’s all just ignore this. We’ve moved on,’ until the Photoshop thing,” the “Last Week Tonight” host said.
“That feels, like, you’re almost handling it in an oppressive way at this point,” he said.
Oliver added: “There is a non-zero chance she died 18 months ago. They might be ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’-ing this situation. I’m not saying it happened, but I’m saying it’s non-zero until proven otherwise. Until we see her sitting there with a copy of the day’s paper.”
Some royal watchers said that it wasn’t really William and Kate in the video. Getty Images One conspiracy theorist said Kate Middleton got a “face and body transplant.” Ashley Crowden/ShutterstockDespite footage of Middleton at the local farm shop, some critics are still not convinced.
“Good to see Kate Middleton is finally out and about and recovering nicely after her full face and body transplant,” another royal watcher joked, implying that they didn’t believe the woman in the video resembled Middleton.
“Last week y’all were telling me Kate Middleton was too weak from abdominal surgery to sit up long enough to take a Mother’s Day photo with her kids and that people should let her rest. Now y’all want me to believe she can jog and carry bags and that after 3 months only one person…” another skeptic remarked.
“It looks nothing like her and she is carrying bags and walking quickly, something one wouldn’t do a month or two after abdominal surgery. Such a strange psyops. What are they doing?” another royal watcher questioned.
“I’m not saying this isn’t Will and Kate, but also I would not be shocked if John Oliver revealed he hired a pair of look-alikes to prance around Windsor as a bit,” another royal watcher remarked.
Nevertheless, sources tell The Post that the sighting should provide enough comfort to quash ongoing conspiracy theories once and for all.
This “should hopefully be enough to put an end to the outside noise about her recovery,” the insider noted on Tuesday.
