All The Plastic Surgery Rumors Kate Middleton Has Faced

Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been lauded for her beauty since she entered public life. From the days when she was just Prince William's college girlfriend all the way to her royal wedding, Kate Middleton has remained one of the most popular beauty and style inspirations for generations of royal watchers. Unfortunately, the princess has also faced rumors of plastic surgery for most of her time as a public figure. OK! Magazine, for example, published comments from a source claiming that the royal had surgically altered her nose. "The Duchess of Cambridge has had two rhinoplasty surgeries," they shared back in 2016 (via Radar Online). "The first was a graduation present to herself in 2005," they added.

Sources who spoke with the National Enquirer claimed that Middleton had an extensive plastic surgery makeover ahead of her wedding to Prince William. "Kate knows she's about to become the most photographed person in the world – and women will scrutinize every inch of her. She's really dreading that," shared the source. "She wants to project a modern, glamorous image, and she knows that it's best to have cosmetic intervention before any aging, sagging, drooping or wrinkling can mar her figure." As for what these supposed alterations cost? Well, let's just say they weren't cheap: $150,000 to be exact! Of course, this is just one of several rumors concerning Middleton's supposed cosmetic surgery.

Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, weeks after announcing news of her abdominal surgery. Some fans speculated that her health issues were part of a cover-up to surgically refine her appearance. InTouch Weekly sought out Dr. Ramitn Kassir of Kassir Plastic Surgery, who laid out why Middleton could've been getting a secret tummy tuck. "Tummy tucks are serious procedures that require up to two weeks of recovery and downtime, which is in line with what the family has announced about Kate's own recovery plan," shared Kassir in January. "Also, Kate's surgery was clarified to be non-life threatening and planned, suggesting it may be an elective surgery such as a tummy tuck."

Some fans crafted a new theory about Middleton's treatment, accusing the royal of getting a facelift during her time away from public duties. Access Hollywood even discussed the public's speculation, which ramped up after paparazzi photos of her riding in a car with her mother Carole Middleton spread online this spring, adding another layer to the ongoing mystery about her health. "There were some people suggesting that she'd had a face lift. Other people were saying that she was in a coma," said Charlie Langston of The Daily Mail in comments. And while Langston was hopeful that fans would let the outlandish theories die after seeing the photo, that's far from what's happened in recent months.

Catherine, Princess of Wales has yet to publicly address any of the tamer rumors about her health issues, so it's not surprising that she's ignored some of the more, well, ridiculous ones. The same goes for her husband, Prince William. However, William apparently doesn't appreciate the narrative that's formed around Kate Middleton's illness. "I think the suggestions that [Kate's] had, well, anything as crazy as a bad haircut that she's needed to grow out to cosmetic surgery that's gone wrong... I think that has made the Prince of Wales frustrated, upset and pretty angry as well," shared royal expert Katie Nicholl with ET in March. "I think they're trying to ignore as much as they can."

With that said, the royals have addressed a previous rumor of Kate Middleton's purported use of a common cosmetic procedure. In 2019, Kensington Palace addressed the opinion of London-based Dr. Munir Somji, who seemed confident that Middleton had elected to get baby Botox. "Note the reduction of fine lines on the forehead," posted Somki to Instagram at the time (via Page Six). "But also note the depression of the medial (middle part) brow but elevation of the lateral tail of the brow." However, Kensington Palace swooped in implying that Middleton was all natural to the New York Post. Specifically, they, through a spokesperson, said that Somji wasn't exactly a reliable source. Plus, "The Royal Family never endorse commercial activity," added the spokesperson.