In early 2024, the public absence of Catherine, Princess of Wales, received extensive international media coverage, which largely asked "Where is Kate?".[1][2] After not being seen in public since Christmas Day in 2023, Catherine underwent abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in the middle of January,[3][4] returning home to Adelaide Cottage two weeks later.[5]
In a statement two days after the operation, Kensington Palace said that the operation was planned, successful, and not cancer-related; they also announced her extended medical leave from public engagements and request for privacy.[4][6][7] Speculation on social media[8] about the nature of the absence grew after her husband, Prince William, suddenly withdrew from the memorial service for Constantine II of Greece, his godfather, at the end of February for what was described as a "personal matter".[9][10]
In early March, on Mother's Day in the United Kingdom, Catherine released an edited photograph of herself with her children.[11] The photograph was withdrawn by several major agencies after the editing inconsistencies were noticed.[7] The following day, she admitted to editing the photograph and apologised for any confusion. The photograph was noted, by newspaper commentators, as being the catalyst for a surge in coverage and speculation.[12] The photograph and the preceding absence became the primary news item of some major outlets, leading it to dominate global trends on social media platforms,[13][14] with viewers of BBC News accusing their coverage as being excessive and sensationalist.[15]
Less than two weeks later, Catherine announced in a pre-recorded televised address that, after her operation, she had been diagnosed with cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapy, alongside another request for privacy.[16] The video was met with praise for her announcement, and much of the preceding speculation and conspiracy theories were condemned.[17]
Background
Kensington Palace issued a statement on 17 January 2024 saying that Catherine, Princess of Wales, had undergone "planned abdominal surgery" at The London Clinic the previous day, and would remain in hospital for up to two weeks.[3][4] The statement said that she was "unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter",[3] and that Catherine wished the details of her health circumstances to remain undisclosed.[3][11][7] Ninety minutes later,[5][18] Buckingham Palace announced that Charles III, her father-in-law, would undergo a "corrective procedure" the following week following a benign prostate enlargement.[19] Kensington Palace said that Catherine's condition was not cancer-related.[4][20] While in hospital, she was visited by her husband and father-in-law.[7][21]
Catherine returned to Adelaide Cottage, the Waleses' family home in Windsor Home Park, on 29 January,[22][20] thirteen nights after her surgery.[7] A spokesperson said that she was "making good progress".[22] Prince William temporarily postponed his duties to care for the family,[5][23] returning on 7 February for an investiture ceremony.[23][24] Kensington Palace said that it would provide only significant updates on Catherine's recovery.[7][25] Before her hospitalisation, Catherine and William were reported to be planning an overseas trip in the spring, possibly to Latvia or Italy.[21][26] While Kensington Palace's initial statement said that Catherine would not return to official duties until after Easter (31 March 2024), commentators suggested that her return could be postponed for a few weeks more due to the school holidays of her three children.[26][27]
Initial speculation
Even before Catherine's hospitalisation, her public absence since Christmas Day led to speculation about her health.[3] While the frankness in revealing her planned operation was considered unusual,[21] following her hospitalisation, speculation grew on social media and the national press about the nature of her treatment.[9][28] Among the conspiracy theories, Catherine was hiding after a bad hairstyle, recovering from buttock augmentation surgery,[29][30][31] or navigating strains in her marriage.[32] On 1 February,[33][34] royal sources dismissed a claim in a Spanish-language television programme by Concha Calleja that Catherine was in a coma,[20] calling it "fundamentally, totally made-up".[33][34]
Several events increased speculation about Catherine's absence.[3][35] On 27 February, with less than an hour's notice, William pulled out of a thanksgiving service for Constantine II of Greece, his godfather, at which he had been due to read. A statement from Kensington Palace ascribed the cancellation to a "personal matter".[10] The sudden cancellation triggered speculation that it was linked to Catherine's health.[3][9][10][20] Royal sources said that she was doing well,[9][20] and her continued absence were pursuant to her recovery timeline.[36][9] On 4 March, TMZ, an American tabloid, published Catherine's first photograph since Christmas Day 2023.[3][23] In the paparazzi photograph, she is wearing sunglasses, in the front passenger seat of a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton.[3][11] British news organisations did not distribute the photograph because it breached their privacy guidelines.[7][37] On 5 March, the British Army removed a claim on the Ministry of Defence's website that Catherine would attend its Trooping the Colour ceremony on 8 June.[37][38][35] The advertisement had not been approved by Kensington Palace.[38][35]
The following day, Catherine's uncle, Gary Goldsmith, said that she was receiving the "best care in the world" in a televised episode of Celebrity Big Brother. Goldsmith suggested "a kind of code of etiquette" prevented him from revealing further details.[39] On the same day, in response to the speculation, People quoted a royal spokesperson saying that William's "focus is on his work and not on social media".[40]
Catherine's absence was contrasted to Charles' visibility and openness about his treatment.[3][25] Some commentators defended her privacy, criticising the speculation,[29][41][42] and suggested comparisons to Charles were unfair given their different roles.[25][30] The health concerns of both working royals led to speculation about the family's capacity to continue its public duties.[43] Charles' biographer Catherine Mayer said that the speculation exposed "how the royal family has gone from too many people to too few in a short space of time".[40]
Several commentators and media outlets referred to the conspiracy theories surrounding her absence as "Katespiracies".[12][44] A conspiracy alleging that Catherine had died was refuted by Newsweek as having no evidence to support the claim.[45]
Mother's Day photograph
Publication
On 10 March, on the occasion of Mother's Day in the United Kingdom, the Waleses' social media accounts released a photograph of Catherine seated on a chair and surrounded by her children. The text accompanying the post, signed by Catherine, thanked all of the well-wishers for their continued support, and wished everyone a happy Mother's Day.[11] It was the first official photograph of Catherine to be released since Christmas Day,[46] and featured on the front pages of newspapers and online news sites.[7][47]
The metadata of the image indicated that a Canon 5D Mark IV digital camera with a Canon 50 mm (2.0 in) lens was used in its production.[48] Kensington Palace stated that the photograph was taken in 2024 by William.[28][48] It was not unusual for the family to publish photographs taken by family members rather than professional photographs, beginning with the first official photograph of the newborn Prince George, which was taken by Michael Middleton, Catherine's father.[28] The photograph was distributed by PA Media to other British news outlets under embargo.[49]
Withdrawal and apology
Later that evening, the Associated Press withdrew its publication of the picture,[7][46] stating that "the source has manipulated the image".[46] Other agencies followed suit with kill notices, including Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Getty Images, and European Pressphoto Agency.[7][28] PA Media said it had contacted Kensington Palace about the concerns but would not withdraw the image.[46] After no such clarification was received, it also withdrew the image.[28][7] The debacle featured on the front pages of major British tabloids and newspapers on 11 March, including The Sun, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, and Metro.[50] Several commentators and media outlets referred to the photograph controversy as "Kategate".[51]
A social media post signed by Catherine on 11 March said that, being an amateur photographer, she occasionally experimented with editing, and apologised "for any confusion".[49][52] Kensington Palace said it would not publish the unedited photograph.[28][7] Royal sources said that it was not intended as a professional photograph, suggesting that the edits were minor. Later that day, Catherine was seen leaving Windsor in a car with William. The latter was attending the Commonwealth Day service in London, while Catherine was understood to have a private appointment.[7]
It was later confirmed that a published 2022 photo of Queen Elizabeth with many of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, described as having been taken by Catherine at Balmoral, showed signs of having been altered[53] after allegations were made that it was a composite of several different images.[54] The Observer's picture desk analysed and confirmed evidence of manipulation in that royal photograph, and published magnifications of areas in the image that showed anomalies.[53]
Catherine has been patron of the Royal Photographic Society since June 2019,[48] and previously described herself as an "enthusiastic amateur photographer".[55]
Analysis of the doctoring artefacts
In its original decision to kill the photograph, the Associated Press noted "an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand". The sleeve of her cardigan was misaligned,[46] a part of the sleeve appears missing,[7] leaving the cuff detached from the jumper.[56] Several other anomalies were later reported.[56][49] For example, Prince Louis's fingers were positioned awkwardly,[28][57] and leaves on trees in the background appeared unusually green for the season.[28] Catherine's right hand was blurred,[7][49] while Louis's jumper, on which it rested, was not.[7] The pattern on both George's and Louis's jumpers appeared altered.[57] Other blurs included Catherine's hair,[49] and Charlotte's knee at its border with the background.[7][56] Catherine's zip appeared to be misaligned,[49][57] and there was a misalignment in the base of a wooden door in the background.[49] In a separate oddity, analysts noted that Catherine was not wearing her engagement or wedding band.[28][56]
According to Hany Farid, a professor specialising in image analysis, the anomalies could be explained by poor manual image editing, poor camera processing, or a poor composite of images taken in rapid succession.[49] Several specialists in photographic editing commented that the image had clearly been doctored in an amateur way.[57][58] An analysis of the metadata of the image distributed by PA Media suggested that it was saved twice on Adobe Photoshop using an Apple Mac computer,[49][48] though it was not clear if it was on the same device.[48] The file was saved at 21:54 GMT on 8 March and 09:39 GMT on 9 March.[49] The initial image was taken at an aperture of f/3.2,[48][59] with a shutter speed of 1/125,[48] giving a moderately shallow depth of field. Therefore, according to an analysis by The Guardian, multiple frames were likely used to composite a sharper result. Knowing where the initial photograph should be out of focus enabled staff at the newspaper to identify 20 anomalies in the distributed photo.[59]
Reaction and increased coverage
The photograph has been described as the apex of growing speculation and the catalyst for it being reported by mainstream news outlets.[12][60] Royal biographer Hugo Vickers commented that rather than reassuring the public, the debacle had "completely done the opposite".[61] Royals expert Richard Fitzwilliams shared the same view, and called the debacle "a cack-handed PR job rather than anything particularly sinister".[31] Mark Borkowski, a public relations expert, said that the palace should publish the unedited photograph to quash rumours,[28] a call echoed by the British Press Photographers' Association.[60] CNBC reported that 276,000 articles had been written about Catherine since the beginning of 2024, almost three times the number of articles written about the U.S. president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump combined.[62]
For several commentators, the controversy raised questions about trust in the royal family and its transparency, with relevant concerns for debates on misinformation.[63][64][65] On 14 March, Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director, said that the controversy had raised "major issues" for the agency's relationship with Kensington Palace, whose future output would be reviewed rigorously before publication. Chetwynd said that the palace was "absolutely not" a trusted source, and that the kill notices issued were more typical for photographs from the state news agencies of North Korea and Iran.[66][67][68]
Commentators in support of Catherine have argued that she was scapegoated by Kensington Palace into taking responsibility,[69] with her body commodified for the public's consumption.[70] Asked about the speculation in an interview for Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, said that he "does worry about what happened to the truth", but that the speculation "was more dangerous" at the time of Diana's death.[71] Writing in The Telegraph, journalist Tim Stanley suggested that the monarchy was being held to an impossible standard, calling Catherine "too good for mean-spirited little Britain".[72]
Surveying the palace's response, a YouGov survey reported that 49% of the British public believed that the right amount of information had been revealed, while 20% said it was too little;[73] a week later, a third of respondents said that too little detail had been released.[74]
The controversy prompted Internet memes speculating on Catherine's whereabouts or ridiculing the royal family's management of the speculation.[75][76][77] At a press briefing at the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if the White House digitally altered photographs of the president or vice-president, in reference to the controversy.[78] In the Netherlands, when a girl told King Willem-Alexander that she had seen a picture of him with his family, the King replied jokingly: "Really? At least I didn't photoshop it."[79][80]
A senior social media editor at the Daily Mirror developed a conspiracy theory that Catherine's 2016 British Vogue cover was used in the manipulated Mother's Day photograph.[81] This theory attracted 49 million views and was rejected by disinformation expert Elliot Higgins,[82] who labelled it "absurd".[83]
Windsor Farm Shop video
On the weekend of 16 March, a member of the public reported seeing Catherine shopping at Windsor Farm Shop with her husband.[84] By the evening of 18 March, video footage of her shopping visit appeared on TalkTV,[85] filmed by a member of the public.[86] The videographer stated Catherine "looked happy and relaxed", adding she also appeared "happy just to be able to go to a shop and mingle".[87][88]
TMZ published the video on 18 March alongside the file's corresponding metadata, which stated the video was filmed on 16 March.[89] Kensington Palace and the Windsor Farm Shop both refused to confirm or deny the authenticity of the video.[90] Scepticism was initially drawn by some outlets which noted on the apparent out of season Christmas decorations in the background of the video.[91] The Washington Post did not regard the published metadata as absolute confirmation,[92][93] with outlets noting that metadata on an iPhone can easily be adjusted in the native Photos app.[94] However, they linked to a photograph, dated 18 March, of the farm shop,[95] and The Telegraph visited the location; both confirming that the decorated shed-like structures seen in the video were there.[96]
Although the farm shop video caused the conspiracy theories to decline in the three days between its release and the princesses' revelation of her cancer diagnosis,[97] it did not affect the concerns regarding her health.[98] A conspiracy theory claiming that the subject of the video was not Catherine, but in fact a look-alike or body-double was promoted by American television host Andy Cohen in a post on X saying "That ain't Kate",[99] and BBC Sport broadcaster Sonja McLaughlan.[100] BBC News reported that there is no evidence to support this theory, and TikTok said it actively reduces the reach of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the Royal Family.[101]
Cancer diagnosis announcement
Alleged medical records data breach
On 19 March 2024, the Information Commissioner's Office issued a statement saying, "We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided."[102][103] The London Clinic are believed to have contacted Kensington Palace to inform them of the alleged breach of Catherine's medical notes. Three members of the staff were reported to be under investigation.[104]
Televised address
Catherine announced on 22 March in a televised address on BBC News at Six that diagnostic tests following her surgery had shown that "cancer had been present" and she commenced "a course of preventative chemotherapy". Treatment had begun in late February. The broadcast asked for the family to be given "some time, space, and privacy", and urged cancer patients "not [to] lose faith or hope". The video had been filmed by BBC Studios two days earlier.[105] A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said it would not reveal "any further private medical information".[16] She further stated that she has been spending time with her husband appropriately explaining the situation to, and reassuring their three young children.[105]
The announcement was met with international praise for Catherine and fierce condemnation for the speculation and propagation of conspiracy theories that preceded it.[106] Some outlets said she had shown courage by announcing her diagnosis.[107] American comedian and television host Stephen Colbert admitted his jokes 'upset' people and public figures such as the panellists on The View, actress Blake Lively and journalist Owen Jones apologised for engaging in commentary prior to the announcement of her diagnosis.[108][109]
Impact
Support for cancer awareness
Macmillan Cancer Support reported a 10% increase in the number of visits to their website compared to the same exact time in the year prior.[110] NHS England similarly reported an increase in the number of visits to cancer-related pages on their website.[110]
Reaction to propagation of conspiracy theories
Days before the announcement, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, criticised the spread of conspiracy theories, arguing that people should be able to "live their lives in peace without everyone demanding that they prove something every other day". He also likened the spread to "village gossip".[111]
The reporting by mainstream media outlets and social media users of conspiracy theories regarding the absence of Catherine was met with condemnation after her cancer diagnosis was announced, from political figures such as Rishi Sunak.[112][113] Conspiracy theories which were broadcast on American television and shared on social media were primarily condemned.[17] Upon receiving criticism for entering the Celebrity Big Brother house whilst his niece was receiving chemotherapy, Catherine's uncle Gary Goldsmith defended his appearance on the television show by claiming he was unaware of the diagnosis.[114] In his statement, he called for the "continued speculation and horrible conspiracies" to end.[115]
Following the pre-recorded televised address of Catherine on 22 March, a conspiracy theory circulated on social media claiming the video was potentially generated by a video created by artificial intelligence (AI) or deepfaked. News outlets such as Newsweek and The Australian reported that it had become increasingly difficult to provide evidence regarding the whereabouts of the princess. This is because members of the public now increasingly refuse to believe what is presented to them as a result of the rapid expansion of AI.[116][117]
Wider impact on the monarchy
Critics of the monarchy have used the absence of Catherine and the manipulated photograph to highlight the wider issue of the royal family's secrecy.[118] It has also allowed for different anti-monarchy groups to collaborate to discuss Catherine's absence.[119] The CEO of republican pressure group Republic, Graham Smith, has said this "shows a general disregard for the public",[120] and it argues it has "damaged their reputation significantly".[121] Others have highlighted it as an example of the Royal Family being fundamentally untrustworthy.[122]
Journalists Tanya Gold and Camilla Cavendish drew comparisons to Queen Victoria's retreat from public visibility following the death of Prince Albert, noting that support for the monarchy waned and then recovered upon her return.[32][123] Several commentators reflected upon Elizabeth II's saying that the royal family has "to be seen to be believed".[32][40][123] Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith said that "there is too much uncertainty that is surrounding the monarchy right now".[40] Commentators also discussed the relationship between the royal family's privacy and their ceremonial duties.[41][40][124]
Before the cancer announcement, commentators remarked on the royal family's adherence to their never complain, never explain minimal disclosure strategy.[125] According to a contributor for Rolling Stone, the controversy exposed broader questions about the monarchy's relevance, consistency, and integrity. In her opinion, the palace's perceived lack of transparency and accountability was deemed inadequate given the extensive international coverage.[75] Commentators argued that their adherence to the strategy only exacerbated the issue.[126] Furthermore, it was claimed that the strategy was no longer sustainable in the information age.[127]
A YouGov poll on 15–17 March found that half of Britons had seen the conspiracy theories on social media. 68% of respondents said that the controversy had not affected their opinion of Catherine.[74]
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