Prince William Breaks His Silence on Kate Middleton Rumors

Prince William has been doing his best to avoid questions about the whereabouts of his wife, Kate Middleton, but a representative for the prince did make a statement on Wednesday. The spokesperson told PEOPLE: “His focus is on work and not on social media.” This is the closest the royal family has come to addressing the conspiracy theories about Middleton’s condition.

Middleton was hospitalized in January for a “planned abdominal surgery,” and at the time Kensington Palace announced that she would be out of the public eye until at least Easter to recover, which meant she had to postpone or cancel all the public engagements she had scheduled in the meantime. She has not made a public appearance since Christmas, and over the last two weeks or so commenters have begun to wonder what exactly is going on. Many began to share unfounded speculations online ranging from jokes to full-blown conspiracy theories.

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace responded to these theories last week when contacted by Us Weekly. They said: “Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.” However, royal family members themselves have said nothing so far, even when Prince William was asked about his wife on Friday. The prince simply ignored that question.

The details of Middleton’s surgery, her condition and the reason for her extended recovery have not been revealed to the public yet. So far the only concrete information came in that January announcement from Kensington Palace, with nothing new added since then. In the meantime, King Charles III was treated for an enlarged prostate at the same hospital and was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer.

The king has returned to work but is also not making any public appearances at this time. Prince William took some time away to be with his wife but has now returned to work as well, and Queen Camilla is staying out of the public eye to be with her husband. Insiders told PEOPLE that all of that adds up to “turmoil” for the monarchy in general.

Middleton is recovering at her home and is currently expected to return to public engagements in April. She has not responded to conspiracy theories about her condition.