Kate Middleton’s left temple has a 3-inch scar running down it. You may or may not have noticed (it’s not glaringly obvious), but there were several rumors about what caused the Duchess of Cambridge to make her first public appearance. Some speculated that it was related to having had hair extensions in the past, while others speculated that it was related to an injury on the ice (she used to play as a child and is still a big fan), but in case you missed the story at the time, neither of these theories are correct.

“The scar is related to a childhood operation,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson told E! News in 2011. No further information was provided, but whatever the reason for the operation, Duchess Kate appears to be in good health, so it does not appear to be related to a long-term problem.

In terms of the previous rumors, it appears unlikely that Kate would have had extensions – after all, she has some of the glossiest, thickest locks we’ve ever seen, and we’re not sure how extensions would leave such a noticeable mark.

Kate played hockey at both St Andrew’s School and Marlborough College, her primary and secondary schools, before going on to study art history at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, where she met Prince William in 2001, and the sport does carry the risk of being hit by a stick, which could have resulted in an operation, but this is all speculation.

Duchess Kate is currently healthy and happy. She is a mother to the Duke of Cambridge’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, and the family is doing well.

While Kate attended St Andrew’s Primary School, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s eldest children, are now attending Thomas’s School in Battersea, and have recently returned after the summer holidays.