US Edition
Before this doctored picture was released there were already theories circulating - as addressed by Camilla in our previous Royal Insight episode - but it was only until this photo came under scrutiny that real people and not just internet sleuths were tipped into thinking this may be a real thing.
Now theories about the Princess’s whereabouts have gotten so acceptably crazy that while you may think it’s bad in Britain, I was just away in the US for ten days and every second person was asking me not whether Catherine was recovering from abdominal surgery well, but whether she was still alive.
This just goes to highlight the mess that Kensington Palace currently find themselves in and how they might conceivably get out of it when it’s time for the Princess’s big return to public life.
So I think it’s fair to say that the fervour about Catherine has now spun out of control. In the last week, we’ve seen some of the biggest celebrity names on social media coming out to talk about the unfolding drama - many to make fun of the situation.
Kim Kardashian posted a series of photos of herself to her 364 million followers on Instagram, with the caption: “On my way to go find Kate”.
Then we saw the actress Blake Lively coming out with a new ad campaign for her alcohol company that excessively and evidently used photoshop on a picture of her, with the caption: “Now you know why I’ve been MIA”.
These celebrity joke references don’t just show how big the narrative surrounding the Princess of Wales has gotten, it shows just how deeply it has cut through to people in a collision of conspiracy, social media, virality and gossip.
The photoshopped picture of Catherine and her three children quickly caused chaos as it was very publicly pulled from distribution by the world’s major photographic agencies over accusations it had been “manipulated”.
The edited picture has since raised many legitimate concerns and questions about the Royal palace’s communications operation.
It has, in other words, dented the public’s trust in the information received - and previously quickly accepted - from them.
The picture was released partly in what seemed like a bid by the institution to quell a surge of online conspiracy theories about Catherine’s whereabouts and wellbeing, which largely originated in the US because many Americans did not know why they had not seen her since Christmas.
But as we now know, the move spectacularly backfired and raised so many more questions than it answered: Why was it edited in the first place? Is that an old picture of Catherine that has been superimposed? Why was she not wearing her wedding ring? Why was her editing not spotted by aides? Why did the palace not explain specifically what had been tampered with in the picture? The list goes on…
Now, after online sleuths have gone so far as to demand proof of life, a video taken by a member of the public has been published online showing the Princess leaving Windsor Farm Shop alongside William looking busy and on the mend from surgery.
As our Royal editor Hannah Furness has recently written, at this point, the Princess and the palace simply cannot win.
And should it be their responsibility to engage with conspiracy theorists online?
They have so far been adamant in keeping to their original message - the Princess is convalescing at home in Windsor, and that will remain the case until after Easter. In the meantime, she wants - and frankly should get - privacy to recover.
Now, this does not mean we should necessarily expect her immediate appearance on Easter Sunday. In palace speak for the Waleses, that typically means after the school holidays, which finish towards the back end of April.
But while we do not know her concrete return date yet, the end of this media storm is looming as we near the conclusion of what was always her projected recovery period.
For now, it looks as if the palace has lost control of the narrative in quite a major way and that going forward, the Princess’s anticipated return to the public eye will have to be very carefully measured and planned.
Should she release a statement updating the public on her well-being? Should she just wait until well-wishers ask her how she’s feeling during a walkabout? Should she even have to share what she went through? These are all questions that her team will be mulling over at this very moment, but they are doing so while facing the pressure of headlines and social media all over the world.
It may be the case that whatever they choose to do at the moment could fuel a new conspiracy theory - so why even bother? Perhaps then the motto of never complain, never explain is best followed, or does that even work anymore in the modern world? Perhaps some people may feel guilty for stoking these fires when the extent of her surgery and potential struggle through recovery is revealed.
There is no doubt that stories nowadays can take on a life of their own through social media, and perhaps it is best not to feed the fire. But if anything, this furore shows us this institution is still of remarkable importance not only in Britain, but globally.
This may be uncharted territory for the palace and the Royal family, but it seems to be a problem they can no longer ignore. What is clear is that we have yet to see it all play out.
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