Growing concerns have emerged among senior government figures that hostile states, such as China, Russia, and Iran, may be fueling the spread of baseless conspiracy theories and online rumors regarding the Princess of Wales's health. The speculation comes in the wake of Princess Kate's announcement on Friday that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led the condemnation of social media trolls who have targeted the Princess in recent weeks, stating, "She has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today. In recent weeks she has been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media." However, his intervention has not deterred the proliferation of conspiracy theories online.
A Whitehall source, quoted by The Telegraph, expressed concern over the potential involvement of hostile states, stating, "Part of the modus operandi of hostile states is to destabilise things - whether that is undermining the legitimacy of our elections or other institutions." While government sources have distanced themselves from the speculation, insisting there is no conclusive evidence of foreign state involvement, the allegations have raised eyebrows among MPs with strong intelligence links.
One such MP told MailOnline, "That is exactly what they do... They don't necessarily make things up, there are enough crazy people out there to do this stuff. What they do is amplify it." A senior Tory backbencher echoed these sentiments, describing such behavior as "contemptible" and suggesting that the aim of these hostile states is to "divide and manipulate."
The online attacks have not been limited to the Princess of Wales, with trolls also targeting the Prince of Wales, questioning why he did not sit beside his wife as she filmed the video announcing her diagnosis. Christopher Bouzy, a tech chief executive and avid supporter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, went on a bizarre rant to his 350,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that recent pictures of Kate were fake and accusing the palace of "North Korea" style propaganda.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said the social media attacks had "done damage" to the Royal Family. "When you've got a young lady, the Princess of Wales, who has suffered a medical emergency, you see people flooding in with conspiracy theories, you see them being amplified on social media platforms and pushed to millions and millions of people," he told the BBC.
The allegations of foreign state involvement in the spread of conspiracy theories come as Downing Street is poised to officially blame China for a 2021 cyber attack on the electoral commission. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is expected to tell MPs that the superpower was behind the attack, which saw hackers gain access to the personal details of 40 million British electors.
Paddy Harverson, the former official spokesman of Kate and the Prince of Wales, described the online targeting of the Princess as the worst he had witnessed. "It's a sort of permanent doom loop. And it's the worst I've ever seen," he told BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
As the Royal Family grapples with the distressing news of Princess Kate's cancer diagnosis, the allegations of foreign state involvement in the spread of conspiracy theories have added another layer of concern. While conclusive evidence may be lacking, the speculation has highlighted the potential vulnerability of the UK to destabilization efforts by hostile states through the exploitation of online platforms and the amplification of baseless rumors.
