A Woman's Body Was Found Outside Kate Middleton and Prince William's Kensington Palace Home

A woman's body was found in a pond outside Kate Middleton and Prince William's Kensington Palace home on August 29. She has not yet been identified.

dublin, ireland march 04 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time prince william, duke of cambridge and catherine, duchess of cambridge visit the teagasc animal grassland research centre in grange, county meath on march 4, 2020 near dublin, ireland the duke and duchess of cambridge are undertaking an official visit to ireland at the request of the foreign and commonwealth office photo by max mumbyindigogetty images
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  • A woman's body was found in a pond outside Kate Middleton and Prince William's Kensington Palace home on August 29.
  • Police have not yet identified the woman, though they initially misidentified her as a missing artist and notified her family that she had died.
  • A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said, "The death is being treated as unexplained at this time, but is not thought to be suspicious."

A woman's body was found in a pond outside Kensington Palace, Kate Middleton and Prince William's London home, on August 29, the Independent reports. Police retrieved the body from the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens, which is directly in front of the palace.

The woman, who has yet to be correctly identified, was initially believed to be then-missing artist Endellion Lycett Green, and police wrongly notified her family of her death. Her brother, John Lycett Green, subsequently informed friends that she had been found "alive, safe and well."

united kingdom january 22 view of kensington palace from kensington gardens, london, england, united kingdom photo by deagostinigetty images

(Image credit: DEA / W. BUSS)

In a statement to Sky News, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said, "Police were called to Kensington Gardens W2 at 7.09am on Saturday, 29 August to a report of the concern for the safety of a woman." They continued, "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 post-mortem examination will take place in due course."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were not at Kensington Palace when the body was discovered, as they were vacationing with children Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte at Balmoral, the Queen's Scottish estate. According to Sky, it's unknown whether any other members of the royal family—such as Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank, who also live at the palace—were there when the body was found.

Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.