Royal watchers believe that Kate Middleton photoshopped her recent Mother’s Day Instagram post by using an image from her 2016 Vogue photoshoot. This comes after speculation surrounding her disappearance from public engagements. Many have been discussing the same following her “planned abdominal surgery” that took place on January 16, 2024.
Recently, a journalist for The Mirror, Ruby Naldrett, took to X to speculate that Kate Middleton used her cover photo from her 2016 Vogue photoshoot for her recent social media post. In the tweet that had amassed over 30 million views, Naldrett said:
“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”
The X user went on to share a 13-second video that showed how easy it was to merge old images into new ones.
Photographer and X user @jonaspeterson also responded to Naldrett’s X post by saying that it seemed like the Princess of Wales used AI. He said in a tweet:
Kate Middleton addresses edited Mother’s Day Instagram post on X
Recently, the 42-year-old took to X to address the controversial Instagram post.
In the initial social media upload that spurred the controversy, Kate Middleton was seen posing alongside her children, Princess George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. She also wrote in the post:
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C”
It was also revealed that the picture was taken by Prince William.
Many were quick to notice that the image seemed to be botched, as Prince Charlotte’s sleeve appeared to be blurred. Some found peculiarities in Kate Middleton’s face as well, further intensifying speculations.
As conspiracies flooded the internet, Middleton took to X to reveal that she had been experimenting with editing, which led to the “confusion.” She said in her tweet:
“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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C”
As many noted that the Mother’s Day post was heavily edited, photo agencies like Reuters, Associated Press, Getty Images, and Agence France-Presse issued a “kill notice” to news outlets, demanding that the image be removed from news pieces immediately.
“100% believe that Kate is gone. No doubt about it”: Speculations about the princess spread rapidly following recent Instagram post
Following the Instagram post controversy, fans of the Royals continued to express concern for Kate Middleton. This comes after she has not been seen for months.
Despite the Royal Family releasing a statement clarifying that she needs time to heal following the abdominal surgery, many were convinced that something serious might have taken place for the Princess to be absent from public responsibilities for a long duration.
Many now continue to express weariness over the princess’s health and the likelihood of the Instagram post being edited with images from the Vogue photoshoot. Some tweets read:
Middleton was last seen at a public outing with her family on December 25, 2023. She was also spotted last week with her husband, Prince William, as they seemingly drove past in the backseat of a chauffeured car. However, her face was not visible.