The frenzy around Kate's Mother's Day picture has heightened speculation on social media.
It’s been another whirlwind few days for the royal family. A picture released in celebration of Mother’s Day, which shows theand her three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, has been withdrawn by top picture agencies including Reuters, AP and Getty amidst claims it has been digitally manipulated.
This cheerful Mother’s Day picture, which is the first official photograph of Kate since Christmas, was perhaps meant to put the rumours about her whereabouts to rest. Conspiracy theories about Kate have been swirling on the internet since January, after Kensington Palace announced that she had undergoneat the beginning of this year.
Another recent theory claims the photo was manipulated using a picture from a photoshoot Kate did with Vogue in 2016. In a now viral tweet that was shared more than 3 million times in just a few hours, X user Ruby Naldrett wrote ‘my analysis of the kate middleton photo saga is that they took her face from the vogue cover she did years ago and edited it in.' She shared the 2016 Vogue cover pic side by side with the new family photo.
The speed at which this story is moving on social media is unprecedented for the royal family – something reflected in the way Kensington Palace is responding to it. After mounting speculation, they released a statement about Kate’s whereabouts to Page Six at the end of February, which said ‘Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.’ Additionally, they noted that Kate is ‘doing well.