The 6 Most Mysterious Royal Disappearances

After a little more than two months out of the public eye, it is no wonder the Internet grew concerned about Kate Middleton and spawned numerous conspiracy theories about her disappearance. The Princess of Wales, who has rarely been out of the spotlight since first connecting with the royal family in 2007, was last seen in public on December 25, 2023 at a family church outing to celebrate Christmas. Even though Kensington Palace announced on January 17th that she had been admitted for a scheduled abdominal surgery and would not resume her duties until after Easter, many took to social media with strange conspiracy theories. While some are spreading rumors that she is going through a divorce, others believe that she underwent plastic surgery or is pregnant.

On March 4, she was supposedly photographed in a car outside of Windsor Palace, where Princess Kate and Prince William currently live, but that has not stopped the speculation. On March 5, a spokesperson for Kensington Palace reaffirmed that she was on medical leave, but some have cast doubt on it, claiming the photograph from the day before was poor quality and that her appearance had changed. A number of unconvincing photos and rumors later, Internet sleuths are still determined to clarify the princess's disappearance, but it seems only time will tell if something else is at play.

Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum disappeared from the public eye for about three months following the release of videos on February 17, 2021 in which she claimed her father had been holding her hostage. This came three years after the princess had tried to seemingly flee her family by sailing across the Indian Ocean, but was briskly returned and supposedly imprisoned in a royal villa. In May 2021, a social media post included a photo of the princess in public for the first time since the videos had been released. While more photos with the royal followed this initial image, many expressed concern over her well-being and whereabouts.

In February 2022, a photo of the princess of Dubai with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet revealed that she was in Paris. A statement that accompanied the image said the princess was "perfectly well" and "living as she wishes." However, Bachelet has since expressed concern over whether or not this statement truly reflects the princess's feelings. Though we may never know what happened during the time the princess was missing, many are dedicated to confirming her freedom and assuring she does not disappear again. 

Many have come to refer to her as the "Ghost Princess" and given she has not been seen at any official events since 2017, it is no surprise why. Princess Lalla Salma had been married to Mohammed VI of Morocco before reportedly divorcing in 2018 and little has been seen of her since. One of the more recent sightings of her was in 2019 as she was visiting an oncology center, but beyond that, her whereabouts cannot be confirmed.

With the public left to speculate where and how the missing princess may be, conspiracy theories have flourished. Some rumors suggest she is in Rabat, Morocco, while others propose she is in exile in the United States or Greece. Since she had been a very active representative of the crown in foreign affairs, her disappearance has been even more noticeable. Nonetheless, what happened to cause her disappearance is still unknown.

You may have heard of Princess Anastasia, but the story of this real-life royal is no fairytale. During the Russian Revolution, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna is thought to have been confined to a cellar along with much of her immediate family and eventually killed by Bolshevik revolutionaries. After, many women later declared they in fact were the grand duchess, calling into question whether or not the royal had escaped and managed to survive her execution.

One of the most famous women who claimed the royal's identity went by the name Anna Anderson. Though she tried to establish herself as the heir to the royal family's fortune, her suit was rejected and in the 1990s, genetic testing revealed she had no connection to the family. Nevertheless, some uncertainty still exists around the late royal's final days, leading many to create conspiracy theories about what may have happened.

Archduke Johann Salvator's vanishing has inspired a number of films, but to this day many are still unsure of the details surrounding his disappearance. In 1889, shortly after his marriage to opera dancer Ludmilla Stubel, he purchased the Santa Margareta, a ship he planned to take to South America with his wife. In February 1890, they made it to Uruguay and began setting course for Chile. However, in July of that year, after being spotted in Argentina, they were never seen again.

Given the risk of sea voyages, many assumed the ship encountered trouble in a storm near Cape Horn, Chile, but that has never been confirmed. A number of supposed sightings of the couple were reported following their disappearance, leading many to believe they took on new identities. Many also claimed to be the missing archduke, with the most popular claim involving a German man named Alexander Hugo Køhler who said he sold his identity as Johann Salvator to the real Alexander Hugo Køhler. Despite these theories, many have not gotten closer to discovering what truly happened on the Santa Margareta. 

Often referred to as the "Princes in the Tower," the mysterious disappearance of these two royals has inspired a number of books and television shows. In the summer of 1483, after their uncle Duke Richard of Gloucester seized the throne, becoming Richard III of England, King Edward V and his younger brother Prince Richard were sent to the Tower of London before eventually disappearing altogether. While many believe they were killed, likely by none other than Richard III himself, there is little evidence beyond the fact that they disappeared.

In 1674, workmen in the tower found two skeletons in a box that were thought to have belonged to the missing young royals. King Charles II even ordered that the bones be placed in an urn and buried in Westminster Abbey to honor King Edward V and Prince Richard. In 1933, the bones were removed to be examined, confirming that they did belong to children matching the ages of the late royals, but many believe this examination was not thorough enough to close the case. Though many theories still circulate as to what happened to the boys in the tower and who is responsible, the details remain a mystery.