The Timing Of Kate Middleton's Trooping The Colour Letter Couldn't Be More Suspicious

Prince William reportedly visited the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), MI6 — which different than the United States' CIA — on June 13, 2024. As reported by People, the revelation came from the Court Circular, the official record of monarchy engagements in Commonwealth realms. "The Prince of Wales this afternoon visited the Secret Intelligence Service," the entry read. And that's all we know about it.

On June 14, his wife, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, announced that she will be attending Trooping the Colour, a ceremonial event to celebrate the official birthday of the Sovereign in the United Kingdom. The appearance will mark her first royal engagement and public appearance since she revealed her cancer diagnosis.

Middleton made the recent announcement on social media alongside a photo of her standing by a tree. "I'm looking forward to attending The King's Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet," she wrote on Instagram. "I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days," she wrote elsewhere. "On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well."

The timing of her proclamation and William's visit seem a little suspicious. What could it mean? Let's look at the British royal family's history with MI6 first.

Prince William has visited MI6 three times — once in 2012 with Kate Middleton, once alone in 2022, and the recent visit. He also worked with the intelligence service in 2019 along with MI5 and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). "These agencies are full of people from everyday backgrounds doing the most extraordinary work to keep us safe," he said in a statement at the time (per Us Weekly). "They work in secret, often not even able to tell their family and friends about the work they do or the stresses they face." Marie Claire called his work "undercover," and he was allegedly trained on the newest intelligence technology and "shadowed counter-terrorism agents" amid their surveillance routine.

It's not uncommon for royals to engage with intelligence services. King Charles was appointed the Royal Patron of Intelligence Agencies in 2011, and as the U.K.'s monarch he receives daily briefings and regularly visits the agencies in-person. Queen Elizabeth II showed similar respect to their operations and had close ties to MI6. Per the SIS, Sir David Spedding — who headed the service from 1994 to 1999 — sang her praises, saying he was "struck by the extraordinary range and depth of her international problems and by the clear evidence that she reads our intelligence reports with close attention."

Given the royal history with MI6 and Prince William's history with MI6, it might just be sheer coincidence that his June 13 visit came right before Kate Middleton's announcement. It could also be directly related to his wife's planned attendance to Trooping the Colour — possibly in regards to security measures. Unsurprisingly, some conspiracy-minded people are coming to some fairly bombastic conclusions.

When Middleton announced her cancer in a video back in March 2024, some theorized that it was made using artificial intelligence. "It is AI. Birdsong on a loop. Grass and flowers never move. Looks warm and green in England for this time of year. lol," one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter) at the time. Similarly, some are now saying that the recent announcement and photo are part of a more nefarious plot. "Why did they use fake pics before?! Why haven't her parents been seen or made comments? Where are the kids? Why did William meet with M16 Only to have this pic emerge hours later? Wake up people," one person wrote on X. Others were more excited about Middletone's coming return to public life — but still expressed curiosity about a possible MI6 connection. "I'm so excited," another X user posted. "And I am so glad we have our community to share in this. Do you think this is why William went to see M16?"

Here's the difference between MI6 and the CIA?