Kensington Palace has been criticized for "damaging trust" in the Royal Family by not handling Kate Middleton's recent absence well.

Kate has been out of sight for about seven weeks after a "medical procedure," and everyone close to the Princess of Wales has been quiet about why she hasn't returned to public appearances. The last time she was seen was when she checked into The London Clinic in Marylebone, leading to a lot of online gossip during her absence.

The situation got more chaotic when she was seen in a large Audi car driven by her mom Carole near Windsor Castle, a moment captured by the American press but mostly overlooked in the UK. Despite ongoing rumors, Kensington Palace and Kate's team have stayed silent, offering no updates.

According to Daniela Elser, a seasoned Royal commentator, this silence could lead to serious trust issues between the British public and the Royal Family in the future.

In her piece for news.com.au, she mentioned: "A wildfire of mistrust, speculation and fidget fretting engulfed Kensington Palace and it crackles on still. Even the appearance of a paparazzi photo of Kate . . . didn't calm the storm, but instead sparked new conspiracy theories, including that 'Kate' was actually her sister Pippa Matthews, was a body double or even, believe it or not, a wax figure."

"These messes – the 'personal matter,' the website, the Kate photo – can perhaps be put down to human error or coincidence or crossed wires. But that doesn't change the fact that all of this bungling is hardly building confidence and trust in the monarchy now is it?"

"Today, Kensington Palace appears to have lost control of the narrative around Kate's sick leave. Things are a shambles and there is now the prospect that the princess might be off sick for months still. Disaster, meet dynasty. Dynasty, meet debacle."

Kate's team only responded to the photos by saying she was "doing well," without giving more details or saying when she might return to public appearances.