So, where’s Kate Middleton?

In today’s The Big Story podcast, officially known as Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton has not been seen in months, aside from a quick glimpse in a dark car. Officially, she’s recovering after undergoing abdominal surgery. Unofficially, if you follow the conspiracy theories, she’s somewhere between divorced and dead.

On Sunday, a picture she posted showing her with her children on the UK’s Mother’s Day, was killed by wire services, diagnosed as a “manipulated” image. Obviously, that hasn’t done much to quell speculation.

Patricia Treble is a royal family expert, and a writer at WriteRoyalty.com. “William and Kate, and their circle, have been incredibly close-mouthed, they are incredibly private, and the fact that we don’t know, you’ve got a vacuum, and social media will fill it,” says Treble.

So, where is Kate? And why is the world so preoccupied with that question?