A combination of botched photoshop jobs, odd statements, and an absence of public appearances led to the internet’s obsession of finding Princess Kate Middleton’s whereabouts. The “Katespiracies” started after Middleton’s abdominal surgery in January, eventually leading to an announcement of a cancer diagnosis on March 22.
Princess Kate made her last official appearance at the Royal Family’s Christmas Day church service before she underwent a planned abdominal surgery in January with a subsequent two week hospital stay and recovery period at home. The palace’s initial statement said Kate would most likely return to her royal duties after Easter, which fell on Sunday, March 31 of this year. After 13 days, the palace released a statement that Kate was discharged from the hospital and recovering at home.
The bulk of online theories began to swirl on Mother’s Day in the UK on March 10. The palace released an official portrait, supposedly taken by Prince William, of Kate and her three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, to commemorate Mother’s Day. However, many were quick to notice many photoshop errors in the image–so many that they affected the image’s publication in news articles.
“At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” AP News said before they incited a “photo kill” of the image, the journalistic action of pulling an image from publication due to image doctoring, tampering, or over-editing.
The picture was pulled over editing inconsistencies in the outfits of Kate and her children, as well as in the background of the image.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate said in a response message on X formerly known as Twitter. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
In addition to the Mother’s Day photo incident, there were many other photos online that theorists claimed to be fake images of Princess Kate, including a photo of Kate and husband William in a car–in which Kate is facing away from the camera–and a video taken of Kate and William walking at a farmer’s market. Many believe the woman in the photos to be a stand-in or an edited figure.
However, the speculation of all incidents caused Princess Kate to come out with a video message recorded on March 20 in regards to her absence.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” Kate said. “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.”
In the video announcement, Kate explained the reason why she has waited to share this information.
“William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate said. “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.”
The constant back and forth of the so-called “Katespiracy” online, and the real breach of her private medical records from the private hospital, the London Clinic, revealed in a report from The Mirror, shows the bigger problem of audiences feeling “owed” information by public figures.
In a statement, a spokesperson from a British privacy bureau, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), told TIME magazine, “we can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.”
The constant desire to know about the lives of others can also lead to harmful parasocial dynamics. However, this comes with the issue of forcing people, like Princess Kate, to come out with a life-changing diagnosis before they may be ready or willing to share it.
“Even though the relationship is an illusion, the feelings a fan has around it are real,” Psychology Today said in an article discussing the science behind parasocial relationships. “There are true feelings of affection and attachment to the celebrity, and when the celebrity does something a fan does not like…the fan can suffer real feelings of loss and betrayal.”
The dangers of online rumors are well known, but perhaps the way everyone treated Princess Kate during a serious health incident will help put a stop to the dangerous rhetoric that sustains on falsified claims and a culture of lying for the sake of entertainment. The ongoing disconnect of the general public in being able to acknowledge celebrities as humans–not show ponies–leads to prolonged flippancy for the basic respect of celebrities’ privacy, creating a cycle of harm and hurt for real people.
