Any information about Princess Kate Middleton’s current condition remains a mystery, and it appears as though many of the people closest to her aren’t even sure what’s going on.

“A few of Kate’s senior staffers haven’t been able to see or speak to her, and they didn’t even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it’s caught them off guard,” as source told Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 13. “Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped.”

The royal source continued, “Whatever the reason for the operation was, it’s of a personal nature, and Kate wants to keep the details as private as possible. “Perhaps when she’s feeling up to it, she may reveal more, but she’s not making any promises.”

However, the ​insider added that even some members of ​Kate’s own family have remained in the dark about her recovery since her planned abdominal surgery on January 16.

Kate, 42, was photographed in a car with her mother, Carole Middleton, on March 5 after not being seen in public since December 2023. Many people were thrilled to see the princess out in public for the first time. However, another photo posted on Sunday, March 10, whipped the internet into a frenzy.

The picture showed Kate, along with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, posing together and was posted from Kate and Prince William’s official Instagram account in honor of Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom. Before long, internet detectives began to suspect that the photo had been edited and began pointing out issues with the picture. On Monday, March 11, the Princess of Wales admitted the photo had been altered.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate wrote via the official Kensington Palace X account. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Regardless of her admission, many people in the comments refused to believe that the photo was ​only edited for some simple touch-ups.

“I am struggling to believe that the most famous royal family in the world – and the woman who would be queen – fiddled around with photoshop and put out a family pic (designed to quash rumors about her whereabouts) without anyone in the ranks inspecting it. Nah. Not buying it,” wrote on X user.

Another added, “Someone in your press office/PR department needs a very constructive 1-2-1 or end of year review. This has, in absolutely no way whatsoever, made this bizarre situation any better.”

The palace has been attempting to put an end to rumors about Kate’s whereabouts by saying that she’s “doing well” in her recovery, but the Mother’s Day photo has only caused fans to speculate further.