Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance on March 17, dispelling certain speculations about her prolonged absence while leaving others unresolved. Her withdrawal from public engagements commenced around Christmas 2023, coinciding with her preparation for an undisclosed abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace had initially stated that she would likely remain out of the public eye “until after Easter.” Nevertheless, both traditional and social media platforms have persisted in discussing the reasons behind her ongoing absence.
The latest talk revolves around a photograph shared by the royal family in an effort to quell the #WhereIsKate movement. However, the image was poorly edited through Photoshop, leading several news agencies to retract it.
The narrative continues to take increasingly peculiar turns. The Prince and Princess of Wales unveiled the strange photograph on March 10 on X, the social media platform previously recognized as Twitter. At initial observation, it appears to be a cheerful group picture featuring Middleton alongside the royal couple’s three children.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the image underwent significant alterations, possibly even generated with AI assistance — a fact quickly noted by users on social media. TheNewsHound queries the absence of the Princess of Wales’ wedding ring, raising questions about its significance.
Amanda Blick shares a zoomed-in image of a sleeve, suggesting that a hand might have been digitally inserted from another source, while ProperGander17 highlights the unusual abundance of greenery in a photo purportedly taken in March. Big Iron Bill observes that the youngest individual seems to be lacking a portion of one finger and is contorting their ring and index fingers in unnatural positions.
Prince Charles issued an apology for the misunderstanding in a subsequent post, stating that he occasionally engages in photo editing. Paul Burrell, a former butler for Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana, asserts that he is acquainted with several individuals who work for the present Prince and Princess of Wales. In an interview with News Nation, he expresses his belief that the purported crisis has been exaggerated by the media. Burrell is firm in his assertion that Middleton is in good health, specifically in Norfolk. He reiterates that, as previously mentioned, the princess will continue her recovery away from public attention until after Easter.
