A new report claiming that Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was seen out and about this weekend has sparked a fresh round of social media speculation, as the absence of photographic evidence has left many questioning the veracity of the story. According to The Sun, the princess was spotted with her husband, Prince William, looking "happy and healthy" as they visited a local farm shop and watched their children play sports in Windsor.
However, the newspaper stated that no photographs were taken during the outing, which predictably led conspiracy theorists on X, formerly Twitter, to cast doubt on the report. Matt Wilkinson, The Sun's royal editor, posted about the alleged sighting on the front page of the newspaper, but his post was community noted, despite the fact that printing an image of the princess going about her private life would likely have breached U.K. privacy laws.
Wilkinson's post, which has been viewed 2.3 million times, read: "Front page of @TheSun on Monday. Princess of Wales has been seen out and about in public this weekend-spending Saturday shopping and Sunday watching her children play sports in Windsor." He added, "People keep asking me 'what's really happened to Kate?' Well, she really had major surgery in January, really said she'd take till April to recover, really asked for privacy, really mucked up a Mother's Day photo, and may choose to be more open when good and ready, really."
The community note attached to the post stated, "This post and accompanying image are misleading. The photo of Kate used here is from last autumn. Kate was not seen by any verified sources and there are no photographs of her 'public trip.'"
The frenzied atmosphere surrounding pictures of Kate has been fueled in part by a recent controversy involving a doctored picture of the princess with her children on Mother's Day, which was "killed" by four international picture agencies over concerns about manipulation. Last week, Phil Chetwynd, the global news director of Agence France-Presse (AFP), told the BBC that he no longer regarded Kensington Palace as a "trusted source."
Social media users have been quick to express their skepticism about the reported sighting. One post, liked 617,000 times, read: "Not the 'no one took any photos but pinky promise Kate Middleton was at a farm' headline." The user added, "If you include professional hair and make-up it would take two hours and George holding an iphone for Kate Middleton to record a few second video thanking everyone for their 'well wishes.' There is just no reasonable explanation for why this hasn't happened."
Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, author of This Is Why I Resist, wrote: "What a joke! If Kate Middleton is outdoors why use picture from ages ago? Royal Family lost the plot-no one trusts anything they say. Imagine if this entire debacle was about Meghan Markle-they would be feeding off this story for months, writing books, making films etc."
The lack of photographic evidence has led many to question the credibility of the report, especially given the current climate of misinformation and the intense public interest in Kate Middleton's health and whereabouts following her abdominal surgery in January. With the princess not expected to resume her royal duties until at least after Easter, and no hard date or engagement announced, the speculation surrounding her well-being is likely to continue.
As the public eagerly awaits a definitive sign of Kate Middleton's recovery, the absence of concrete evidence from this latest reported sighting has only served to intensify the rumors and conspiracy theories circulating on social media. Until the princess herself addresses the public directly, or Kensington Palace provides more substantial information, the guessing game surrounding her health and whereabouts is likely to persist.
