Rumors of palace flags flying at half-mast amid Kate drama explained
Sorry, royal family conspirators, flags in England are not flying at half-mast – despite recent reports claiming otherwise.
As conspiracy theories about Princess Kate Middleton‘s well-being continues to surface online, some social media users have claimed that the Union Jack (the national flag of the United Kingdom) has been lowered to half-mast over Buckingham Palace. However, a quick fact check proves that this is not the case.
Photos are being shared again on X, showing the Union Jack halfway up a flagpole. However, the social media platform added a comment to each of the viral posts.
“Readers added context they thought people might want to know,” the X note reads, debunking royal flag theories. “This message is false. The image in the post is from when the Queen died in 2022, not from now.”
Karwai Tang/WireImage One question has been on everyone’s minds these past few months: where is Princess Kate Middleton? Kensington Palace announced in January 2024 that Kate would be out of the public eye until after Easter after a planned abdominal operation. “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes […]
Generally, flags are lowered to half-mast to signify important events in the country, often including the death of a leader, a tragedy, or to show respect during a solemn occasion. (The flags were lowered to half-mast at that time Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022. In the United States, flags will also fly at half-mast when presidents die, or national treasures, such as James Gandolfini.)
Rumors about the flags have gone hand in hand with speculation that the royal family is gearing up for a big announcement on the BBC this week. Neither the news network nor Buckingham Palace confirmed these rumors.
Social media users speculated that the reported announcement would be a health update King Charles III, who announced a cancer diagnosis in February. (Buckingham Palace confirmed on Monday, March 18, that the king was still alive, after Russian media reported otherwise.)
Other rumors about the alleged BBC report said it would finally address details about Kate’s whereabouts.
Kate has largely disappeared from the public eye since undergoing planned abdominal surgery in January. Kensington Palace announced at the time that she would be in recovery until after the Easter holidays. (Kate has been publicly spotted three times in March.)
Although her return to public duties was initially scheduled for the end of the month, a recent report claims that Kate will be out of commission for longer than expected.
Britain The Sunday times reported that the Princess of Wales will wait until her and William’s children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — return to school on April 17, after the Easter holidays. So far, no royal engagements have been announced for Kate.
The British Royal Family may appear prim and proper to the public, but they have faced their fair share of controversies over the years. One of the biggest royal scandals in recent history came when King Charles III and the late Princess Diana announced their divorce in 1992 after ten years of marriage. At the time, […]
The same report noted that while Kate is recovering at home, she has continued her usual routine.
Kate Middleton.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesDetails about Kate’s well-being have been kept out of the public eye. A source said We weekly earlier this month that the Princess of Wales will “likely” provide more details once she returns to public duties.
“No one in the palace knows exactly what medical condition Kate suffers from. But Kate is a very transparent person,” the insider said earlier this month. “She’s not really in a position to lie, but at this stage she just wants her privacy.”
The source expects that people will “probably” ask about Kate’s health when she returns to the public eye. The insider expects Kate to provide a direct answer.
“She doesn’t hide things and doesn’t have the ability to sneak around,” the source said Usnoting that Kate is more likely to ‘open up to an ordinary person’ because she ‘doesn’t want all this fuss and trouble’.