And what’s next for the Princess of Wales.
Kate Middleton’s multi-month-long retreat from the public eye has spawned conspiracy theories, memes, and op-eds across the world. With the revelation that the most recent photo of the Princess of Wales was manipulated, it seems like everyone’s asking the same question: What’s really going on here? We wanted to take the temperature of those across the pond, so we reached out to two people with expert insight: Danielle Stacey, Hello! Magazine’s online royal correspondent; and Ellen Gainsford, a U.K.-born, U.S.-based broadcast journalist, to offer their perspective.
But first, let’s back up and look at the facts: Kate Middleton hasn’t been seen in public since Christmas Day, and even though the Palace said in January that she’d be recuperating in private until after Easter, the public has been clamoring for an update — and coming up with their own reasons for why she’s been absent from royal duties. Then, on March 10, the royals released a photo of Princess Kate and her children to coincide with Mother’s Day. All hell broke loose: First, social media users speculated that the image was faked, and then photo agencies came to the same conclusion. The AP went so far as to issue a “kill notice” for the photograph, reading, “It appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
“The Waleses have previously released images to celebrate occasions such as Mother’s Day, so I think they initially thought it would be a nice way to mark a family moment, while thanking the public for their support,” Stacey tells us.
“I think it’s quite an embarrassing incident for the royal family to have news agencies issue a ‘kill notice,’” Gainsford says, adding, “That’s just really unprecedented. And it looks like a big fail for her PR team, which have let through an image that is quite obviously manipulated.”
What’s also almost unheard-of is the royal family’s decision to directly address the gaffe, which came a day later. Kate tweeted, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing…I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
The message shocked the press and the public. “It’s quite unprecedented for a member of the royal family to speak out in such a way, given that there’s been instances before when an image released by the palace is thought to have been Photoshopped,” Stacey says. She explains that the shot of the late Queen with her great-grandchildren and grandchildren taken at Balmoral in 2022 and released last year was accused of being manipulated at the time, but the Palace didn’t comment on those rumors.
At the same time, Stacey understands why the family did want to clear the air. “With the frenzy surrounding the first photo of Kate, plus social media speculation, perhaps the Princess felt compelled to make a comment in the hope to fan some of that away.”
“I think Kate’s statement is also a reminder that there’s a human being at the heart of this,” she adds.
The admission that Catherine manipulated the photo isn’t the first time the Palace has commented on the rumors swirling around her condition. On Feb. 2, the Palace denied a Spanish media report that Middleton was in a coma. On Feb. 29, they reiterated in a statement — not responding to one particular theory, but more to address the churning rumor mill — “We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter.”
“That is an unusual response from the Palace, reacting to these conspiracy theories,” Gainsford adds. “But at the same time, it’s an unusual situation that a member of the royal family would be out of the public eye in this way. Perhaps they felt the need to step in, but it seems to be stoking things, rather than quelling them.”
Stacey agrees that the response is “unusual” but reminds us, “I think there’s two different approaches being taken by the two royal households. King Charles has been quite open about receiving treatment for his enlarged prostate and again about his cancer diagnosis.” That’s in contrast to Princess Kate’s request for privacy. “William and Kate were the first royals to get married in the digital age, and everything they say and do can be captured on a smart phone during their public engagements, so there’s probably more desire for their private life to remain private,” she explains.
The Mother’s Day photo debacle and the public’s thirst for updates — even when the Palace has made it exceedingly clear that they won’t be sharing frequent news — brings up some larger questions about privacy and what public figures owe us.
“This latest incident really highlights the tensions around the royal family’s right to control their own image and the extent to which they’re public property,” Gainsford says. She adds, “It does show just how intensely the spotlight is on her, and how the royal family is kind of viewed as public property in the U.K. — and that people feel they can demand explanations if they’re not seen.”
Stacey also wants to remind us that whatever the royal family is going through isn’t a fun opportunity for gossip. “We must remember that at the center of this is a family who are going through a difficult time, with the Princess still recuperating from major surgery,” she says. “A photograph that was meant to mark a happy family moment has ended up being heavily scrutinized, and the controversy surrounding it ended up overshadowing the Commonwealth Day service — a major event in the royal family’s calendar.”
As for what’s next, Stacey says we shouldn’t expect immediate transparency. “As I understand, it’s unlikely that Kensington Palace will provide any further health updates about the Princess. I think the next we’ll hear from them will be after Easter, when Kate is expected to return to her public duties.”
Looking even further into the future, the big question will be just how much this incident will damage the monarchy, which has already been on precarious footing in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit, Queen Elizabeth II’s death, and King Charles’s cancer diagnosis. “The next 50 years — maybe even the next 20 years — will be an incredibly important time for the British monarchy,” Gainsford says. “King Charles seems to be popular, but whether Prince William is able to follow through and ensure a smooth transition and sort of prove to the public that the monarchy is relevant? That really remains to be seen.”
