A Statement Put Out By The Royal Family Is Doing Little To Curb Speculation That Kate Middleton Has Been Gone Girl’d

Ever since her abdominal surgery in January, Kate Middleton has been noticeably missing from the public eye, and now, the Royal Family has found itself attempting to thwart increasingly rampant conspiracy theories (and Gone Girl memes) surrounding the Princess of Wales’ whereabouts.

On Thursday, Kensington Palace issued an official statement, and well, it’s probably not going to help quiet people’s suspicions.

“We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant,” a palace representative told the press.

Speculation around Middleton kicked into overdrive this week as Twitter users latched onto the #WhereIsKate hashtag. However, as The Hollywood Reporter notes, Middleton taking a breather until Easter was always the plan following her surgery on January 16:

While there was no public announcement ahead of her surgery, it was made know immediately afterward that the procedure was a success for Princess Catherine, who remained in the hospital to recover for 13 days before heading home to continue on her path to health and a return to royal duties. In the Jan. 17 announcement, palace representatives made a clear statement regarding the plan for the mother of three over the next several weeks, announcing that “based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

Has that information stopped Twitter from having a field day? Of course not. Until people actually see Kate Middleton again, social media is going to be loaded with jokes about botched plastic surgery, appearances at doomed events like the deranged Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow, and Gone Girl memes.

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)