Kim Kardashian says she is now on the lookout for Kate Middleton

• Kim Kardashian is the latest celebrity to comment on Kate Middleton.
• Kardashian joked about "finding Kate" amid Middleton stepping back from her duties.

If the internet can't find Kate Middleton, maybe one of America's biggest celebrities can.

Middleton's recent absence from her public duties to recover from what Kensington Palace has called a "planned abdominal surgery" has resulted in a deluge of conspiracy theories about her whereabouts.

And the rumors haven't been confined to the dark corners of the web — mainstream figures like Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, and now Kim Kardashian have waded into the Katespiracy.

Kardashian posted a tongue-in-cheek caption on Instagram Saturday that accompanied a series of shots of her in a black shirt commemorating the 2000s hip-hop concert documentary "The Up in Smoke Tour" and a pair of studded leather pants.

"On my way to go find Kate," the reality star wrote alongside the photos.

The reception to Kardashian's caption was mixed, with some commenters laughing along and others calling the post insensitive.

"How low can you go Kim? Poking fun at a wife and mother who has and is seriously ill? Just wow," one commenter wrote.

"Omg that caption is going to stir up so much more drama," another commenter correctly observed.

Representatives for Kardashian and Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Although minimal updates have been shared about Middleton's health following her surgery — which, along with a botched Photoshop job, has helped further the conspiracy theories — Middleton is expected to return to her duties after April 17, when her children return to school, The Times of London reported Saturday.

Sources close to Middleton told the outlet that Middleton may reveal what exactly is going on with her health once she returns to public life.

"They will want to be clear and more open, but they'll do it when they feel ready," one friend of the royals told the outlet. "I would expect that to be her instinct, and it will be her call. They're not going to be rushed."