Shock claims Princess Kate put in ‘induced coma’

Kensington Palace has moved to squash concern over the condition of Catherine amid claims complications from surgery left the Princess of Wales in ‘great danger’.

Kensington Palace rushed to squash concern over the condition of Catherine amid claims “complications” from surgery left the Princess of Wales in an “induced coma”.

A palace source said leaks from the Royal Household, that the Princess’s life was “in great danger” as a result of abdominal surgery, were “total nonsense”.

It follows reports doctors saved Princess Catherine from near death shortly before she was discharged from the London Clinic to recover at home.

Royal officials were understood to be furious at the claims made by experienced royal journalist Concha Calleja, which quickly went viral after being first reported on the popular Spanish news program “Fiesta”.

Prince William seen after visiting Catherine at the London Clinic. Picture: AFP

“The doctors had to take drastic decisions at that moment because of the complications that arose,” Calleja said, citing an off-record conversation with an aide to Royal Household.

“The decision was to put her in an induced coma. They had to intubate her. There were serious complications that they didn’t expect because the operation went well, but the post-operative period didn’t go so well.”

The palace was “furious” at the suggestion Catherine’s condition was more serious than has officially been released in public statements, according to The Times.

“No attempt was made by that journalist to fact-check anything that she said with anyone in the household,” a source told the publication.

Police officers stand guard outside the entrance to London Clinic, where it was claimed Princess Catherine was placed in an induced coma. Picture: AFP

“It’s fundamentally, totally made-up, and I’ll use polite English here: it’s absolutely not the case.”

Ms Calleja, a long-time journalist who regularly appears on Spanish television as a royal expert, has not backed down from her report. She said the concern inside the palace walls has been “palpable”, adding that healthcare professionals have posted up at Adelaide Cottage where Princess Catherine is expected to recover until at least Easter.

“It was about saving her life,” she said. “Practically an entire hospital is being set up” in the couple’s home.

Ms Calleja’s claims raised eyebrows for the seeming depth of knowledge of her inside source, which claimed Princess Catherine was taken to hospital for several days in a previously unknown visit on December 28 after she began to feel unwell, and “not for the first time”.

As a result of the seriousness of the condition, Ms Calleja said the recovery was going to require “a lot of assistance”.

“And I’m not just referring to her family,” Calleja said.

Princess Catherine with family on Christmas, three days before she was said to have first visited hospital for several days on December 28. Picture: Supplied

Prince William and nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo are splitting household duties and school runs for the children so Catherine remains in bed as much as possible, according to The Daily Beast.

Friends of Prince William said his unprecedented move to drop all royal duties to care for his family was a sign the couple were breaking with royal protocol to keep illness quiet and carry on.

“William and Kate are making it very clear that times have changed and they won’t be bound by the old ways of doing things,” the friend told The Beast.

“Instead, they are going to act like anyone else in this position, and are putting their family first.”

Originally published as Shock claims Princess Kate put in ‘induced coma’