The veil of mystery causes an explosion of conspiracy theories

‘Photogate’, ‘Katespiracy’, ‘sleevegate’ (ie…manicoscandal), ‘Kategate’. When the media – nowadays social media as well – goes so far as to “baptize” a scandal, then things are rather serious for those involved – in this case, Britain’s royal family, which faces major and multiple crises.

Newly crowned King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer, the type and stage of which remain unknown, while Kate, Princess of Wales, is recovering from surgery, with no one knowing the type or severity of the disease, or how the disease is progressing. her recovery, with rumors of her condition flaring up after her husband, William, decided to suddenly cancel his participation in an event (the memorial service for the late King Constantine) in which he would have played an active role, without the palace giving the slightest explanation.

The veil of mystery that covers the happenings in the palaces recently has led to an explosion of conspiracy theories that are circulated either in the “yellow” press of Britain and other countries, or on social networks.

Last Sunday, a photo that aimed to calm the noise achieved the exact opposite: it acted as a fuse to break out a new orgy of rumors, but also for the palace to receive accusations of spreading… fake news.

A few hours after its release, the controversial image – which was even commented on by… the White House spokeswoman – was withdrawn as “falsified” by the world’s biggest photo and news agencies.

The photo, which was posted on William and Kate’s official social media accounts on Mother’s Day (March 10 in Britain), showed the princess smiling surrounded by her three children: ten-year-old Prince George, eight-year-old Princess Charlotte and five-year-old Prince Louis.

But as it turned out, it had been digitally altered to such an extent that many wondered (and still do) whether all the depicted faces were really together at the time of the photograph.

After the uproar, Kate Middleton apologized – in a post on X – for the “confusion” she caused, claiming she was the one who digitally “teased” the photo.

However, this explanation (which many found unconvincing) sparked more rumours, scenarios and concerns about the princess who has been on ‘sick leave’ since last January.

And what was not written in the pages of scandal-mongering publications and on the Internet: “she is dying” (according to others … already “dead”), “she was a victim of domestic violence”, “she broke up with William”, “secretly had a butt lift”.

Some have claimed that the Princess of Wales was not present at the photo shoot, but her image was digitally added at a later stage. Others rushed to Kate’s defense and slammed her husband and the palace in general for “failing to protect her”.

Royal commentator Angela Levin condemned the royal family’s stance, saying it was “not fair at all to let the princess take responsibility for the picture.

She was sick, still not recovered and should have been protected. Very bad behavior.” The palaces are also under fire for not disclosing details about the health of both Kate and Charles and have been accused of a “lack of transparency”, with some questioning whether we can now trust what they are announcing.

The ongoing scandal has highlighted something else: how difficult it is for the royal family to maintain control of the narrative surrounding them in the age of social media. “Social networks have given the palace the ability to manage its public image in new ways. At the same time, however, they have ceded considerable power to ordinary users,” commented royal historian Ed Owens.

Tellingly, the fact that “something is wrong” with the photo was first pointed out by citizens on the Internet, several hours before news agencies realized that it was “problematic”. Of course, social networks were, for the umpteenth time, also a platform for spreading conspiracy theories. Among those most recycled are the following:

1. “Royal” divorce. Many noticed that in the photo in question the princess was not wearing a wedding ring and “judged” that her marriage to William was going through a crisis. Others have… put an end to it, claiming the couple has already split.

2. Victim of abuse. Some – imaginative enough – argued that the princess was a victim of domestic violence (by “photographing” William), hence the palace “hiding” her.

3. Covert operation. Some sites wrote that Kate secretly traveled to Brazil to undergo… butt lift surgery.

4. Eating disorder. Others have wondered if what is really happening to Kate is that she is suffering from some serious eating disorder (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, etc.).

5. Coma or death. There were also those who “revealed” that the princess is in an artificial coma, while others… bid higher by “announcing” that she is dead and that in the recent photos in which she is depicted next to her mother or her husband, it is not Kate but one of her concubines or Pippa’s sister!