Questions swirl around Princess Kate's disappearance following a controversially altered family photo. The image was meant to put the public at ease, but instead, it just created more doubts about Princess Kate and her disappearance from the limelight after her mysterious surgery.
After the palace released a snap of Prince William’s wife and her three kids – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – on March 10, news agencies such as Reuters, Agence Grance-Presse, and Associated Press refused to run it because they deduced, it showed a range of anomalies indicating it had been digitally altered.
One of the most obvious examples of consistency is the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand. Princess Kate broke down and came clean a day after the photo was published.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Princess Kate penned in a post on social media of the image Prince William reportedly took. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” the Princess of Wales continued.
According to Star Magazine, the scandal has made Princess Kate "feel like she can't trust anyone." Meanwhile, conspiracy theories arose after Princess Kate left the public eye.
Some joked that Princess Kate hadn't been seen in weeks because she was growing out disastrous curtain bangs. Others wondered if she had gotten lost at Willy’s Chocolate Experience, a farcical Willy Wonka-themed event that went wrong in Glasgow in February. One fan even suggested that the mother of three did a "Gone Girl."
After weeks of speculation about her whereabouts and health following her hospitalization in January, Princess Kate revealed that she has cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. On the afternoon of March 22, the royal provided a video update on her health.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” Princess Kate said.
The sister of Pippa Middleton explained her diagnosis was a “huge shock” for her and her growing family. “As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I am going to be OK,” Princess Kate went on, referring to her three children with Prince William, the eldest son of King Charles and heir to the British throne.
Princess Kate did not disclose the type of cancer she had been diagnosed with, but she did request space and privacy. “We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now, I must focus on making a full recovery,” she explained.
Princess Kate's cancer diagnosis is the latest in a string of health issues for the royal family. To recall, King Charles was diagnosed with cancer in February, less than 18 months after succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who died in September of 2022.
His Majesty has since withdrawn from public appearances. Buckingham Palace has not said at what stage his cancer was discovered. On January 21, Sarah, Duchess of York, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, revealed that she had malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer, according to Aljazeera.
Recently, Prince William and Princess Kate shared in a statement that they were “extremely moved” by the outpouring of support and continued to ask for privacy in response to the latter’s announcement that she was diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment.
"The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the U.K., across the Commonwealth, and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness' message,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson told TIME in an email on Sunday. "They are extremely moved by the public's warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time."
Kensington Palace's most recent statement reiterated Kate's original request for privacy, as the family faced intense public and media scrutiny in the weeks preceding the announcement.
Meanwhile, Princess Kate has yet to comment on the claims that she felt she could not trust anyone after news agencies claimed that her family photo was digitally altered. Business Times has reached out to the Princess of Wales to know if there is truth on these reports.
