Prince William takes a shot with Rob McElhenney at pub amid Kate Middleton’s ‘disappearance’

Prince William is kicking off the weekend like many others do – by knocking back a shot of whiskey.

The British royal is in Wales for St. David’s Day, the feast day of the country’s patron saint. The Prince of Wales was in Wrexham at The Turf Pub, which is located next to the Wrexham Association Football Club’s stadium, Racecourse Ground.

The Wrexham soccer team was recently the subject of the docuseries, "Welcome to Wrexham." It explores the redevelopment of the historic soccer club after it was purchased by Ryan Reynolds and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star, Rob McElhenney in 2021.

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While Reynolds is editing "Deadpool," McElhenney is in town to welcome the father of three. Royal sources told People magazine on Friday that there are hopes for William and the actor to catch up later this year.

The heir to the British throne was photographed getting behind the bar, making a toast and taking a shot with McElhenney, 46. He also met with the staff and community members, as well as representatives of various local charities.

Outside the pub, William greeted a young Florence Boyle by giving her a high-five. The child gave the prince a daffodil, which is a tradition to wear on the feast day.

William then headed over to the soccer stadium, where he was gifted a Wrexham jersey with his name and the number 9 on the back. People magazine noted that William is the president of the Football Association, the game’s governing body in England. He is known to attend Aston Villa games to support his favorite team. William also met with stadium staff and players.

William’s appearance came as Buckingham Palace grapples with conspiracy theories around Kate Middleton’s so-called "disappearance."

Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that the Princess of Wales would remain at a London hospital for up to two weeks after undergoing planned abdominal surgery. The 42-year-old has been recuperating at the family’s Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

As the princess continues to recover, a flurry of conspiracy theories has emerged on sites like X and TikTok, with users speculating about the royal’s whereabouts and health condition.

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace, which handles the household for the Prince and Princess of Wales, told Fox News Digital on Thursday, "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. The guidance in January stands that the Princess would be recuperating at home in Windsor."

The spokesperson reiterated the princess is "doing well."

It is unclear why the princess needed abdominal surgery. While it is somewhat unusual for members of the royal family to release details about their health, the initial announcement was likely made to avoid speculation about whether events featuring the princess had to be postponed or canceled over the coming weeks.

The palace noted the royal "is making good progress."

However, that has not stopped the rumors.

Following Middleton’s surgery, journalist Concha Calleja alleged on the popular Spanish news program "Fiesta" that the princess was in a coma due to health complications, the U.K. Sunday Times reported.

"The doctors had to make drastic decisions at that moment because of the complications that arose," Calleja said, as reported by the outlet. "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 postoperative period didn’t go so well."

The outlet noted that Calleja alleged that Middleton was at one point in "great danger" and "practically an entire hospital" was set up at her home. Other Spanish outlets reported Calleja's claims.

Soon after, a palace source vehemently denied the report, calling it "total nonsense."

"No attempt was made by that journalist to fact-check anything that she said with anyone in the household," the source told the outlet. "It’s fundamentally, totally made-up, and I’ll use polite English here: It’s absolutely not the case."

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace and Calleja did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

The U.K. and foreign media have been focused on the health of Britain’s senior royals in recent years, first as the late Queen Elizabeth II faded from public view during the last months of her 70-year reign, then when King Charles III ascended the throne at an age when most of his contemporaries were long retired.

Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, previously claimed to Fox News Digital that Middleton’s recuperation has been going smoothly.

"I have heard that the Princess of Wales has been responding to emails, but everything has been structured so that she is not overwhelmed or disturbed by incoming dialogue," said Schofield.

"Kate is not a rule breaker," Schofield shared. "She is going to follow the doctor’s orders but engage when she can, so she doesn’t feel behind. I don’t expect to see her in an official capacity until Easter, but I believe she is engaged behind the scenes."

Fox News Digital's Ashley Papa, Caroline Thayer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.