Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has been away from the public eye since December, leaving social media users speculating about the UK royal. According to Kensington Palace, the 42-year-old is recovering at home after a “planned abdominal surgery” in January, but some users believe the royal is in an “induced coma”. Amid the speculations, the royal’s senior staff members are not aware of her post-recovery process. Some of the staffers stated that she was nowhere to be seen. 

“A few of Kate’s senior staffers haven’t been able to see or speak to her, and they didn’t even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it’s caught them off guard,” a source told Us Weekly.

According to the New York Post, some of them had no idea about the surgery until it was announced by Kensington Palace. “Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped. It’s confusing and causing some concern,” they continued. 

A “shroud of secrecy” surrounds Ms Middleton, the report continued, adding that the only guests have been the cancer-stricken King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla.  It added that the palace is keeping the royal’s post-op recuperation “very hush-hush.”

“Kate’s said she feels she’s entitled to heal and recuperate without all of this frenzied speculation. Neither Kate nor William think her medical records should be for public consumption. She’s trying not to pay attention to all the rumours and gossip, and William is doing his best to shield her, but it’s distressing,” they added.

Meanwhile, a controversy started after the Princess of Wales shared a family snap of herself with her children on Mother’s Day. The photo was withdrawn by news agencies after it was found to have been “manipulated”. The princess later apologised, saying, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” The 42-year-old was said to be “very sad” that a happy family photo had sparked such an uproar.

However, the incident gave rise to a new wave of conspiracy theories about the British royal, which have been termed “Katespiracy” online. Many people were also curious about whether British royals had ever manipulated photographs, and media outlets like CNN announced that they would look over all of the handout photos that Kensington Palace had previously provided.

Amid uproar over Kate Middleton sharing an edited Mother’s Day photograph, another royal portrait is being criticised for allegedly being altered. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Valentines’ Day photo, shared in 2021 to announce the couple’s second pregnancy, was scrutinised by UK media for having a willow tree added in the background.

However, the photographer who clicked the portrait has hit out at claims that it was retouched and shared a coloured version of the photo demanding an apology.

“The original Jpeg without the black and White grade, I expect a full apology and retraction from @dailymail @telegraph. No trees or meadows were moved or swapped, this is the image straight out of camera. Also that is a Jacaranda Tree, not a willow tree,” Artist Misan Harriman said in a post on Instagram, also sharing the details of the original photo.

The black-and-white photograph showed the Sussexes under a tree, with a pregnant Meghan resting her head in Harry’s lap while the couple is all smiles.

“The Daily Mail says I have admitted to doctoring the pregnancy announcement portrait of Harry and Meghan. Apparently I was switching out trees and meadows. And I admitted to this in an episode of a podcast called Private Passions. This is crazy,” he said.

The photographer says that the podcast host asked him about clicking the portrait in virtual mode during the lockdown and a “few leading questions” which he tried to “swerve” from. The podcast host then asked Mr Harriman if the couple were under a willow tree and he replied that they were lying outside in a meadow.

“How that exchange could amount to me admitting to doctoring an image is insidious,” he said, adding that the claim was “dangerous and unacceptable”.

“The only thing that was changed was the black-and-white colour,” he said.

The UK royal family has been at the centre of controversy after Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, admitted to editing a palace-issued photograph of herself with her three children after the altered image was withdrawn by news agencies across the world.

The photograph added fuel to fire as social media was rife with speculations about the royal’s prolonged absence from public eye after the palace suddenly announced she would be undergoing an abdominal surgery. The princess has not been away from public life since Christmas.

London:

The modified official photo of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her children did not respect “the ethical standards of the profession”, said Agence France-Presse (AFP), which withdrew the portrait.

The global news agency was one of several leading outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters, Getty and Britain’s domestic Press Association to “kill” the image, withdrawing it from distribution to clients.

– Key problems –

Analysis of the Mother’s Day image, released on Sunday by Kate’s Kensington Palace office, highlighted “several inconsistencies in alignments”, AFP said.

They include:

– Misalignment of Kate’s zip, and a dark visible line below

– A missing part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve

– Charlotte’s hair ended abruptly on her shoulder.

The image said to have been taken by Kate’s husband and heir to the throne Prince William last week, was released after weeks of rumours about her health after she underwent abdominal surgery in January.

The 42-year-old princess has not been seen in public since a Christmas Day church service on December 25 and is not expected to make a return to official royal duties until at least next month.

– AFP response to photo –

Eric Baradat, AFP’s deputy news director in charge of photos, said the agency’s photo editors in London consulted with their counterparts at other news agencies on Sunday about alterations to the photo.

They decided that the modifications were “in violation of the ethical standards of the profession”, he said. 

“As a result, they collectively agreed to remove the photo from their distribution platforms,” Baradat added.

“From the outset, AFP had duly noted that it was distributing a photo provided by a third-party institution. 

“AFP felt compelled to remove the photo to preserve the trust of its subscribers and maintain transparency to the public, especially in a society where manipulated images are prevalent.”

Keen photographer Kate has taken several official portraits of her family that were distributed by the palace to media outlets.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said on Monday after the multiple “kill” notices further fuelled the speculation about her health and whereabouts.

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” she added in a statement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)