At the end of August a body was found in a pond in Kensington Gardens, outside the home of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The story made headlines but seemed to disappear nearly as quickly as it surfaced, leaving many curious followers of the royal family wondering exactly what happened — and how a body ended up so close to where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge live with their three children. In a nutshell, we're still not sure, but there are some details that have come to light since the body was discovered.
We know for sure that the Cambridges were not present at their home at Kensington Palace Apartment 1A when the body was found. They were visiting Queen Elizabeth in Balmoral, Scotland, as part of their summer family vacation, and were likely not privy to the goings on of that morning until after the fact. Prior to visiting Balmoral, Will, Kate, and the children were at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, and remained there for at least several days after the body was found. Unfortunately, the mystery involving the corpse found near their home has still not been solved.
Here's what we know so far about the body that was found just outside of Kensington Palace.
Kensington Gardens, Not Kensington Palace
The body of the deceased wasn't found on royal property; it was found in Kensington Gardens, which was once owned by the royal family, but has been a public park since the 19th century. Kensington Gardens is adjacent to Kensington Palace. The body was found in the Round Pond, which is in an area of the gardens that essentially borders the palace grounds directly, so it was close to the Cambridges residence.
Other Royals Nearby
Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, also live in the Kensington Palace compound — but it's unclear if either was present at their Ivy Cottage home when they body was discovered and removed from the pond by authorities. Several other royals also reside at the palace, but their whereabouts at the time of the incident are also unknown.
Early Morning Call
Police arrived at the gardens around 7 a.m. on August 29, after someone spotted the body and called the Metropolitan Police out of concern for the safety of a woman. However, it's unclear whether the person who made the call realized the woman was already dead.
Dead on Arrival
Sadly, the woman was unresponsive when officers from the Metropolitan Police arrived. "The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The death is being treated as unexplained at this time, but is not thought to be suspicious," a spokesman for the police told Sky News.
Mistaken Identity
Initially, police thought the body they found was that of a woman who had been missing for a week prior to the body being found in Round Pond outside of Kensington Palace. They identified her as an artist by the name of Endellion Lycett Green, the granddaughter of former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman.
Endellion Is Alive, Though
The police notified the family of Endellion, 51, whose work is pictured here, after they concluded that the body found in Round Pond must have been her, considering that she had been missing for days and was known to frequent the park and a number of art galleries in the surrounding area. They would soon find out otherwise.
'My Sister Endellion Is Alive, Safe and Well'
Shortly after the family was contacted by the police, Endellion returned home. "My sister Endellion is alive, safe and well," her brother, John Lycelle Green, wrote in a message to friends, according to the Daily Mail. "Sorry to all of you that, like us, were grieving for the wonder that is Delli. We were told a body was found and was her. It was not, and Delli was found last night," he explained.
Identity of the Body Still Unknown
To date, the woman who was found dead in the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens has yet to be identified. "Enquiries are ongoing to establish the identity of the deceased," the police said in statement issued after the body was recovered. However, weeks later, the public has still not been updated regarding the identity of the woman.
No Foul Play
Officials representing the Metropolitan Police have asserted there is no evidence on the scene that indicates the death was suspicious — or that foul play was involved. "The death is being treated as unexplained at this time, but is not thought to be suspicious," a spokesperson told Sky News.
Postmortem Planned
Police said from the beginning that an autopsy would be conducted as a part of the official investigation into how the woman ended up dead in Kensington Gardens. "A post-mortem examination will take place in due course," the MET spokesperson said — although, weeks later, it's still unclear when that postmortem took place.
Still No Update
Even though it's been weeks since news of the body found in Kensington Gardens reached the public, the police have still not issued an update on the woman's identity or cause of death. It's possible the official investigation hasn't uncovered the mystery yet, or that they have and the deceased's family asked police not to share the information.
Not Notable
Although royal gawkers may still be curious about how exactly the body ended up outside of Will and Kate's home, there may not have been an update yet, simply because their findings were not notable, and updating the public on an isolated incident is simply not a top priority.
Details Are Still Hush
With both major and petty crimes on the rise in London over the past year or so, it would be good to know if the woman found near the palace died of natural causes — or if some crime actually did happen. We're sure, locals — royal or not — would be grateful for more information.
Royals Have Returned
About a week after the body was recovered from outside of Kensington Palace, Prince William and Kate Middleton's two older children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte both returned to school at Thomas's Battersea in London, so it is likely the Cambridges have resumed living at Kensington Palace — at least most of the time.
Will & Kate Are Keeping Quiet
William and Kate have not responded to the incident in any way, and things seem mostly back to business as usual for the duke and duchess. It appears that, regardless of how exactly that body ended up so close to their home, they aren't too concerned.
