Princess of Wales Kate Middleton is reportedly considering stepping away from her royal duties after a string of scandals painted her out to be a "villain," a "racist," and a bully — and it's all become too much for her to handle, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Her shocking decision has allegedly rocked her marriage and the monarchy, according to a sensational new report. While the 42-year-old hasn't officially retired, Middleton continues to push the date when she'll return to public life after at least two severe surgeries in early January.
"Kate's desperate struggle with the constant pressures of life in the royal fishbowl has clearly taken a terrible toll on her physical and mental health," a senior palace courtier told the National Enquirer. "She spent weeks staying out of the public eye after her operations — and it's only strengthened her resolve to quit."
The princess' alleged exit plan comes after years of scrutiny and scandal, insiders shared.
"Kate's disillusioned and frustrated by the ongoing drama surrounding her renegade brother-in-law, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan [Markle]," said another well-placed royal source. "But ironically, they've shown her there's an alternative to being trapped in the Firm.
"She knew when she married William her life would change forever, but never in her wildest dreams thought it would be this intense!
"Kate had a hard time when she first joined the family but after a few years assumed she'd gotten through the worst of it."
Then Meghan arrived and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's vicious attacks exploded.
"Kate's been painted the villain, a racist who questioned the skin color of Meghan's son, Archie, before he was born, who made Meghan cry before her wedding and who went out of her way NOT to be friendly," the palace insider shared. "Those stories will never go away, which is one of the reasons Kate wants to retreat."
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In November, Kate and King Charles III were revealed to be the royals who allegedly commented on Archie's skin tone. The revelation came out more than two years after Meghan made the claims — without naming names — during her and Harry's bombshell interview in 2021 with Oprah Winfrey.
There have been hints for months that Kate wants to wind down. She's taken numerous breaks and missed royal events, often using her children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — as her excuse.
The future queen of England has only been spotted twice since entering the posh London Clinic, known for cutting-edge cancer treatments.
Kate was snapped on March 4 — looking worn and haggard — in the passenger seat of a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton. Earlier this week, she was spotted leaving Windsor Castle with her husband.
Her latest outing came after her embarrassing Photoshop fail when Kate's amateur editing skills were displayed in a Mother's Day post amid concern about her health and whereabouts. The glaring errors forced her to come clean about editing the family photo.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day," she wrote on X.