Prince William is focused on “driving forwards” and doesn’t want to become embroiled in conspiracy theories or any kind of debate about his wife’s operation and recovery.
The Prince of Wales, 41, attempted to keep calm and carry on a visit to Sheffield on Tuesday despite rampant speculation about Kate’s health on social media.
He posed for selfies, met people who have experienced homelessness and even joked about the weather as he unveiled major commitments to his Homewards initiative, a five-year project to end rough sleeping for good.
A source close to the heir said: “His focus today was very much getting on with the job and driving forwards, Homewards.”
William even made reference to Kate on the visit, saying she “needs to sit here” when the topic of early childhood was raised during a Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition meeting.
But while the heir was discussing ways to combat homelessness, social media speculation about Kate reached a fever pitch after a video obtained by the Sun showed the couple visiting a Windsor Farm Shop on Saturday.
The wild conspiracy theories were even perpetuated by BBC reporter Sonja McLaughlan, who claimed the pictures might have been posed by a lookalike.
She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “It’s so obviously not Kate. Some newspapers reporting it as fact. But it’s not her. No conspiracy theorist but all very odd.”
Her comments prompted a fierce rebuke from veteran royal commentator Dickie Arbiter who said: “If that is not the Princess of Wales in those pictures then I’ll eat my hat.
“What an embarrassment for the BBC, I really don’t think they can be relied upon as a trustworthy source anymore.
“Unfortunately there are people out there who have nothing better to do than jump onto the conspiracy bandwagon and repeat all this nonsense.
“Is there anything that Kensington Palace can do to stop them? Not really, no.
“Attempting to counter these ludicrous claims would require one to look at them seriously for a moment, and in doing that it lends them credence. All they can do in fact is grin and bear it.
“The only thing that’s going to shut the conspiracy theorists up is when the Princess of Wales returns to work.
“And her recovery is not being made any easier by all this nonsense being spouted about her health.”
Mr Arbiter, who was Queen Elizabeth’s spokesman from 1988 to 2000, went on to brand those dreaming up conspiracy theories about the Princess of Wales’ health as “idiots” last night.
He said: “They really do need to stop inventing this nonsense and crawl back down whatever holes they have emerged from.
Close friend Kevin Pietersen also hit out at the “absolutely absurd” conspiracy theories saying he sees the couple “most days” and urged “cruel” trolls to “leave her and her beautiful family alone”.
And culture secretary Lucy Frazer called on the public to “give her a bit of privacy” following her abdominal surgery at the start of the year.
She told LBC radio: “She is a remarkable lady and I think we should give her a bit of privacy… at the moment she is recovering from an operation and I think we should respect her privacy.”
William was determined not to let the online chatter distract from his royal engagements however, as he joined conversations about how best to combat homelessness.
He was happy to pose for selfies with royal fans as she arrived in Sheffield city centre, even holding a coffee mug for a fan while he got the camera up on his phone.
The heir even joked about the weather, saying: “Last time I was here it was barbecue weather.”
During the meeting with the coalition, the heir appeared moved by Chris Lynam’s experience of homelessness.
The 41-year-old told William how he left the Royal Navy with post-traumatic stress disorder and this led him down a path of drug and alcohol addiction and, eventually, prison.
The prince told him: “Chris. Can I just say how brave you are to be here and talk about your story?”
He asked his aides to get Mr Lynam’s contact details so that they could stay in touch.
William went on to ask experts for their views about the extent of family homelessness and discussed how early intervention can turn around lives.
The Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition has been convened over the past nine months by Homewards to create a shared vision for Sheffield and formulate a Local Action Plan towards ending homelessness in the city.
The group includes over 70 organisations, and members of the local community with lived experience of homelessness.
Afterwards, the prince sat down with leading landlords working in the city and other organisations who support Homewards.
They have pledged to provide accommodation for families on the brink of or experiencing homelessness.
It comes after the initiative was given a boost worth £1 million from DIY retailer Homebase whose chief executive officer Damian McGloughlin said he personally wanted to be involved in the project.
At the meeting he formally pledged up to 1500 Home Starter Packs, which could include paint, furniture, flooring and furnishings, to help tenants turn a property into a home.
William launched Homewards in June 2023 to bring together a range of individuals and organisations to develop bespoke homelessness solutions in Newport, South Wales, three neighbouring Dorset towns, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch, the south London Borough of Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen and Sheffield.
The rugby pundit wrote on X, formally known as Twitter: “It’s so obviously not Kate. Some newspapers reporting it as fact. But it’s not her. No conspiracy theorist but all very odd.”
Her comments prompted a fierce rebuke from veteran royal commentator Dickie Arbiter who said: “If that is not the Princess of Wales in those pictures then I’ll eat my hat.
“What an embarrassment for the BBC, I really don’t think they can be relied upon as a trustworthy source anymore.
“Unfortunately there are people out there who have nothing better to do than jump onto the conspiracy bandwagon and repeat all this nonsense.
“Is there anything that Kensington Palace can do to stop them? Not really, no.
“Attempting to counter these ludicrous claims would require one to look at them seriously for a moment, and in doing that it lends them credence. All they can do in fact is grin and bear it.
“The only thing that’s going to shut the conspiracy theorists up is when the Princess of Wales returns to work.
“And her recovery is not being made any easier by all this nonsense being spouted about her health.”
Mr Arbiter, who was Queen Elizabeth’s spokesman from 1988 to 2000, went on to brand those dreaming up conspiracy theories about the Princess of Wales’ health as “idiots” last night.
He said: “They really do need to stop inventing this nonsense and crawl back down whatever holes they have emerged from.
Close friend Kevin Pieterson also hit out at the “absolutely absurd” conspiracy theories saying he sees the couple “most days” and urged “cruel” trolls to “leave her and her beautiful family alone”.
And culture secretary Lucy Frazer called on the public to “give her a bit of privacy” following her abdominal surgery at the start of the year.
She told LBC radio: “She is a remarkable lady and I think we should give her a bit of privacy… at the moment she is recovering from an operation and I think we should respect her privacy.”
William was determined not to let the online chatter distract from his royal engagements however, as he joined conversations about how best to combat homelessness.
As he arrived in Sheffield city centre, William posed for selfies even holding a coffee mug for a fan while he got the camera up on his phone.
He even joked about the weather, saying: “Last time I was here it was barbecue weather.”
During the meeting with the coalition, he was moved by military veteran Chris Lynam’s experience of homelessness.
The 41-year-old told William how he left the Royal Navy with post traumatic stress disorder and this led him down a path of drug and alcohol addiction and, eventually, prison.
The prince told him: “Chris. Can I just say how brave you are to be here and talk about your story?”
He asked his aides to get Mr Lynam’s contact details so that they could stay in touch.
William went on to ask experts for their views about the extent of family homelessness and discussed how early intervention can turn around lives.
The Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition has been convened over the past nine months by Homewards to create a shared vision for Sheffield and formulate a Local Action Plan towards ending homelessness in the city.
The group includes over 70 organisations, and members of the local community with lived experience of homelessness.
Afterwards, the prince sat down with leading landlords working in the city and other organisations who support Homewards.
They have pledged to provide accommodation for families on the brink of or experiencing homelessness.
It comes after the initiative was given a boost worth £1 million from DIY retailer Homebase whose chief executive officer Damian McGloughlin said he personally wanted to be involved in the project.
At the meeting he formally pledged up to 1500 Home Starter Packs, which could include paint, furniture, flooring and furnishings, to help tenants turn a property into a home.
William launched Homewards in June 2023 to bring together a range of individuals and organisations to develop bespoke homelessness solutions in Newport, South Wales, three neighbouring Dorset towns, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch, the south London Borough of Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen and Sheffield.
