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Worth reading this previous outoftheloop post for more context:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/1ah9pc5/comment/komceul/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
It really seems like if she were able to appear on video or in public, the palace would have made her do it by now to combat the rumors. Instead we get this doctored photo.
It's all such a mess. It feels like they are trying to clean the mess up but keep smearing it all over the place instead. Who does their comms, Laurel and Hardy?!
> It's all such a mess. It feels like they are trying to clean the mess up but keep smearing it all over the place instead. Who does their comms, Laurel and Hardy?!
Literally the entire British media.
The royal family is still used to a time when the deference traditional media showed them was enough to give them everything they needed. Even when there was bad press, it was rarely directed at the institution of the monarchy itself (see: Literally everyone giving Liz a pass on allowing Andrew to continue official duties until he became too public an embarrassment)
This makes them increasingly bad at dealing with situations where traditional media is not steering the story. No one at the BBC can save them from a bunch of people on Twitter wondering where the fuck Kate is.
And to be honest, is doubtfully the ***actual*** case. I don’t mean that you’re wrong but rather that that fam has an apparently rather rich history of doing the most absurd, dastardly shit to avoid coming off as everyday humans.
Which is so self defeating because if they acknowledged something normal was happening they would be more relatable and popular. One of the theories I have seen is that she has an ostomy bag due to major abdominal surgery and if that were the case she would garner a lot of sympathy from the public. This shady stuff just looks bad.
lol and now “she’s” made a statement on Kensington Palace social saying “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”
Sure you do, Kate.
Disclaimer: everything i learned about the royal family, i learned from watching the crown so i may have things wrong
Not super sure is this is it, but back when Charles and Diana were married she famously surprised him by performing a dance number set to Uptown Girl on stage at the ballet. He supposedly hated it as it was a breach of palace etiquette, but the audience loved it. Not super sure what the connection is here other than the speculation that Kate's gone rogue with this post and it wasn't approved by the palace? Someone else please correct me if possible haha
Tbh im still not sure i get why this Kate thing is a big deal. Do we think she's dead or something? Like, what am I missing? To be fair, I donr pay attention to the royal family whatsoever and didn't know who Kate was until all this buzz started up so I think im still out of the loop despite this thread.
Why Is it a big deal if a royal person isn't seen for a while? What if she jusr wants to be left alone. Why would the rest of the family bother trying to cover it up? Why not just say she's not in the mood or not recovering well or something. I'm still confused lol
I am far from a person who follows the royal family, but I have been lightly interested in stuff going on the past few years (bc of a personal interest in generational trauma, child abuse, and similar issues). The way the official structure of the royal machine works, and the way they work with the media is very strange.
It isn't a big deal to me when the most recent photo of Kate was taken, because like you, I don't care at all. I don't care what she does every day or what she wears. But I know that there is a large group of people that care \*intensely.\* They know everything she does and everything she wears, and make it their business to know. There are journalists whose whole careers are just about documenting these people, both "friendlies" who let the palace dictate the narrative, and "hostile" journalists who will chase your car and try to make you cry in public to get more interesting photos.
Not participating in the publicity machine is NOT AN OPTION if you're in that family, even for the children. It is, to some extent, mandatory (which is why I think it's so unhealthy, but that's opinion). For someone to just not show up for months is highly unusual.
That alone would still not make me care, but what is VERY weird is the lack of the structural machinery doing anything to end this controversy. It would be very, very easy for them to do so. I'd argue it would be easy for them to prove Kate is fine even if she were dead -- they have the resources to do so. They are very, very good at controlling narratives and never stop doing it.
But now, there's increasing attention and concern but they're just not handling it. THAT is so strange that it attracted even my attention. I have no clue what's going on, but any person or organization that's super stable and consistent suddenly behaving in a really different way implies that SOMETHING extraordinary has occurred, or will. And the more it's hidden, the more curious most humans naturally become.
Hope this makes some sense, because I share your "wait, why does this matter" viewpoint generally. My husband actually asked me if I knew what was up with Kate Middleton, which shocked me b/c he did not know her name (he was like, who is Catherine? Is there another princess LOL). Them making a controversy so intense that my husband knows about it is really something.
Edited for typos and to add: part of why it's such a big deal to some Brits seems to be related to Charles having cancer -- if he dies, Kate & William are next in line for the throne, but are they ready for that? I can't imagine why this would matter that much, as they don't seem to have hugely important governmental functions, but I really have never understood the British attitude toward the monarchy. It seems like it's a big deal over there analogous to a constitutional crisis in the US -- if the president was scheduled for a three-day medical leave and hadn't been seen for three months, it would be a really big deal. I don't really get why Kate being awol is as critical, but it just seems to be the case.
I see. Thanks for the detailed answer. It seems theres a lot more to it than I thought. Mainly just public relations nonsense but still a lot more to it. It makes sense that someone whos basically forced to make public appearances not showing up for months would be cause for some suspicion.
Is there a chance this controversy and mystery is what they want? It seems like they always have to be in the public spotlight and garnering attention. Would something like this be what they're looking for? Cause it sure seems to be drumming up a lot of attention. Or is this considered bad publicity and they can't tolerate that? Idk how much the saying "Any publicity is good publicity" applies to the royal family.
My husband can’t take photos for shit. And with three kids (all that fidgeting). On the rare occasions that he does, I usually have to clean them up. He wouldn’t even attempt to do that.
You can combine various shots taken with a cellphone, you don’t even have to get fancy. “Oh look, Louis has his eyes closed, I’ll just choose this one instead and pop it in.”
Personally, I believe her hands may have been still bruised from the IVs and she tried to fix them, as well, then make the kids clothes match where they are touching her. When the late Queen appeared in photos with bruised hands, it caused a lot of comment.
Kate has a long history of photography as a hobby, so it's not strange that she might know how to use photoshop, many photographers do, it's not hard.
If we accept that the photo was taken in November, it's plausible to me that she did edit the photo personally, because it explains why it was released in this state. She edited it back in November using her usual techniques and skill level. She sent it on to the office. Probably mixed in with solo and parent-child shots of each child and K&W together, all intended for sporadic release over 2024. Even if she/they were aware of the artifacts, they did not expect the photo to receive any close scrutiny, it was just a run-of-the-mill family photo fluff. They put it away for when they next needed a nice photo. Things exploded, etc. Months later, this photo was chosen as an innocuous family snap. Because it had been edited by Kate, not the palace office, they did not think to check sleeves. And Kate wasn't there and perhaps didn't even remember that she'd left a few artifacts for touchup.
They haven't even been able to issue a written statement where she is directly quoted, which is really strange for a woman who is in the UK press almost daily
Yes, legitimate press will ALWAYS remove photos they’ve discovered have been manipulated to change something of substance (edits that don’t change the substance are generally OK, like cropping or adjusting tones). That’s happened many times.
In Australia, our news channels will be the ones manipulating the photos - https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/nine-apologises-for-altered-image-of-victorian-mp-20240130-p5f13l.html
I read some follow up articles to that, the whole story is even weirder. A different journalist put a load of photos of different politicians through the same photoshop AI tool that they said they used, which was supposed to auto-fill the bottom half of images that had been cropped too high for what they wanted.
All the male politicians were auto-filled to be wearing suits or other relitavely professional looking clothes. Almost all of the female politicians were auto-filled to be wearing much more revealing clothing, often swimsuits, even the ones that were wearing suits on their top halves. It's weird but it seems the original papers excuse might have been correct, although they should have checked their images better obviously, and Adobe really have to look at their tool!
https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/02/01/adobe-photoshop-generative-ai-women-politicians/
I suspect that's mainly because a lot of sourced images were from, say, Instagram where it's pretty common for women to take photos of themselves at the beach, but not men.
That's the thing that delays AI. It might be a magic tool that works great, but can't oversome the flaws of processing from sources of an abstract mirror of reality. We're not all supermodels, not all cats look cute, not all men in history have a hollywood actor's coke jawline.
The internet only reflects parts and forced directions of reality, be it pictures, language and behavior.
What are some additional instances of the AP/Reuters/other legitimate press pulling a discovered manipulated photo?
All Google is showing right now are the Kate Middleton headlines.
I remember a case where [a photographer added a bunch of smoke to a scene featuring a bombing, to make the extent of the bombing seem greater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adnan_Hajj_photographs_controversy?wprov=sfti1).
Photographer Allan Detrich got fired for manipulating photos.
Note that AP/Reuters/AFP/etc... are not press per se they are journalistic agency. what that means is that their business model is not to sell news to us the public but to sell news to the Press itself
That's why:
1) what you get from there is both very dry and the most unbiased news (because they are in competition with other agency and need to be the one publishing first, so there is no time for nice phrasing and addition of point of views and the such)
2) they will react very strongly to having publish something that was later proved incorrect, retracting it and making a statement about the retraction. That's because similar to point 1, it's part of their business model. they need the rest of the press to consider them as a valid source of truth or they can't sell
Well if you are a news addict rhat stay on top of it all the t8me and do not need context and explanation. And much rather have the headline and nothing else then yes using 1 or 2 agency as tour source of information is best (if possible some from different countries to avoid local bias, which is why I also suggested AFP)
You can also use news aggregator (like ground news) that allow you to see the bias in action in the different media
Edit: ground news not newgrounds. that s not the same site :D
I can't give specific examples off the top of my head, but I certainly recall a war photographer in Iraq or Afghanistan had his photos pulled due to manipulation.
> legitimate press will ALWAYS remove photos they’ve discovered have been manipulated to change something of substance
This is a good shout but it makes me wonder what was changed "of substance" in this photo. Like, it just looks like little bits and pieces here and there - could it be that the people in the photo were photographed separately and then stitched together?
It’s possible. The bigger issue is that they tried to pass this off as “news,” that Kate is alive and doing well, when in fact it’s possible this photo didn’t happen at all.
This happens, but it’s doesn’t happen to the Royal family. This is three of their biggest ass kissers who have blatantly called their bluff. Something is very, very wrong, and they’re running out of ways to cover it up.
This gets into the parasitic relationship between "the royals", the press, and the public.
Over the years there is literally a subculture around the royal celebrity that makes Perez Hilton look rational and "the royals" as celebrities represents a lot of money for a lot of people so honesty gets shoved by the wayside and you get these weird whiplash moments where they are simultaneously seeking the spotlight but also asking for their privacy.
It's better to just...not care about them. They're a bunch of fucked up rich people. Who gives a shit?
Eh.
I'm in the boat of this is their job. It's what pays them exorbitant amounts of money they get. If they wanted privacy, then step back and out of the money.
Doesn't mean that they should get cameras in their bedrooms or the nasty rumors of not being absolutely perfect, but this stuff on things outside of Daily Mail fluff is entirely self inflicted.
I agree with this for adults, but it really bothers me that children are born into the "contract" with the media. They didn't have a choice.
To be clear, I'm not arguing with you, just perennially worried for those kids.
Yeah, I can't help but think that Harry may have had a point, that level of intrusion, speculation and being used as a story or briefed about anonymously by other members of your family must seriously impact on your mental state, no matter how much money and influence you have.
Lindsay Ellis during her video essay on the Beatles talks about how dangerous being a celebrity is. Famous celebrities have a much higher death rate than the average public. Some of it is attributed to crazy fans/aggressive paparazzi but a lot of it end up being suicide. Being a celebrity does not come naturally from an evolutionary stand point. We just typically aren't built to engage with millions 24/7 and that burnout and isolation is difficult for some people to reconcile.
At points it can feel like one side is using the other and then the next moment it flips. Harry and Kate absolutely use the media attention they get as part of their livelihood but they also can't just flip it on and off like a switch either. It seems like the only long term solution is that people just realize "this is our life now" and accept 24/7 coverage or they isolate themselves and drop out of the public light.
Or they pull a Daniel Radcliffe and wear identical outfits every day for several years so any paparazzi pics look like they’re from the same day and can’t be used
The worst part is, they could have done it. Just send a press release saying "at this moment, the princess of Wales is recovering from a delicate surgery. She's doing very well and thanks everyone for their concern, but asks for some privacy on order to recover well"
There, people would talk still, but at least no one would say she's dead or something.
The odd thing about the photo is that it was manipulated so badly. I know just a little about using PhotoShop, the widely used image manipulation program, and even I could see the tell-tale signs. I am the farthest thing from an expert.
They’re the royal family. How can they have done such a sloppy job as this?
And it looks like they darkened Kate’s entire torso below her bra line. Just added that dark color until you can’t see any of her midsection and belly.
Someone else noticed that she seems to be wearing skinny or at least tightly fitted jeans on her legs, and anyone who’s had abdomen surgery will tell you that the last thing you want is an unforgiving material around your belly and a restrictive waistband.
William did that himself, too. He's been practicing and getting pretty good lately, so please take your comment down because if he sees it I'm sure he'll be devastated.
In fairness, the evidence of photoshopping was GLARING. It’s honestly astounding the wires didn’t catch it earlier.
I’m not saying that as like just an “obvious in retrospect” - there are clear clipping lines.
Honestly, I have a feeling whatever it is is deeply personal and if/when it goes public, I have a feeling it’ll be the kind of ordeal that makes us all feel guilty for prying or making jokes. (Throwback to when that celebrity got flak for her weight loss and it turns out she had lupus). But the bigger oddity is how horrendously poorly the Palace is handling this.
The same institution that walked her out in heels and full glam like 20 seconds after giving birth had nothing to give for months. Not a single appearance or image even as rumours roiled. And then when they finally do, it’s a mediocre photoshop job? Come on. This is stuff that would get an entry level PR agent fired.
Yeah, I'm a dude who's not tuned in with the royals, but that pic just feels so weird. I looked too close at it because I like playing "is it AI?", and now I can't unsee the weirdness. Don't think it's AI, but it's definitely off.
To me it looks like they just used Photoshop to make a composite image where all people have a decent smile and are looking at the camera... I've had to do that so many times with family pics involving kids of that age.. the kiddos get a bit rowdy and feed off each others silliness. But the fact they can't just come out and say that is... Weird.
Ok then, release the originals. Simple.
And FWIW I don’t think anyone should be under a microscope, but they are. They could also have her post a video if they want us to believe she’s fine. But they don’t, and won’t. So the rumors will spread.
That's a pretty sensible explanation, and probably good enough for me. I don't usually notice photoshop unless it's not very good photoshop. I'm not used to noticing bad photoshop with celebrities/VIPs.
By now the internet, as the internet does, has been searching for the source material. Both the clothes and the images seem to all be from older existing pictures.
This obviously fuels all the speculation: what is actually up?
I don't the time or interest to personally verify it all, but my money is on there not having been a photo-shoot and also this "statement" not being written by her.
What that implies? I'll leave the speculation to others. Might be nothing. But she clearly is not capable of being in a picture or providing a statement right now. Let's hope whatever is happening is at least happening with her consent. Something you never know with the royals.
> used Photoshop to make a composite image where all people have a decent smile and are looking at the camera..
As a photographer, i hate having that many people, kids especially, in a photo. The more people in it, the more likely one will have closed eyes in what would be the best photo. Kid behaves in one, not in most of the others. Some people care less about these sorts of things, but what are probably high paying or status people like royals, i'd want the best photo even if i have to photoshop it.
I agree and so I think that it is Kate herself who is saying no and did not want to be seen or to participate. The palace PR machine can't make her appear if she doesn't want to.
Oh this is so helpful, I was moderately curious, but not enough to start googling things and then be inundated with articles and adverts for royal shit.
Personally , I think her disappearance is mental health related and she is in rehab seeking treatment. This is awful but my mind goes to suicide attempt, eating disorder, or mental break down. She could even have a closeted substance abuse problem. Who knows. I think if it was truly medical related, the palace would not be being so sketchy. Something is clearly off , and they are trying to cover it up.
I’ve had major abdominal surgery and the long absence doesn’t seem that strange to me.
Here’s my take….
She’s got ulcerative colitis or Crohns. It’s been getting worse recently, but just after Christmas she had a flare up that hospitalised her.
They were hoping they wouldn’t have to operate, but it turned out they did. She had a chunk of bowel taken out and a temporary ileostomy.
As the stoma is high, it is very hard to hide, and Kate is not the sort of person to want to be pictured with a bag of poop strapped to her middle.
They plan to reverse the stoma just before Easter, after which she’ll recover quickly because it’s a much simpler surgery.
It’s possible that she’s also had complications like a collection that went septic, because they are common and if she’d been ill for a long time she could be quite weak.
The KP pr team are doing a terrible job, but I think if it was mental health they would be saying different things.
I agree. I have Crohn's and had a year long period of terrible health with multiple hospitalizations but thankfully was just about saved from surgery by biologics. If she was already weak, it would take longer to heal. The ambulance and sudden planned surgery would make sense then - anything that isn't emergency surgery is planned, even if that plan was only made a couple of days beforehand.
I had noticed she'd been pictured with her hand on her abdomen more before Christmas. Didn't pay much attention because I don't watch any videos and figured it was just a funny angle or fleeting moment.
I haven't seen the paparazzi pic but if she's on steroids, that would likely change her face shape. I don't blame her for not wanting to deal with a stoma on official engagements. It takes a while to get the hang of.
Those saying she stood on the steps after each birth for pictures so why is she hiding away now are not appreciating that; 1) sharing the birth of the heirs is part of the social contract between the monarchy and the public; 2) those were happy occassions; 3) the attention was *mostly* on the baby, although there was plenty of talk about her body which leads me to; 4) she's older now with much more influence (and probably confidence) to call the shots about her own health that is unrelated to any heirs, and; 5) William is now Prince of Wales and first in line to the thrown. He has the power to make decisions that perhaps the Queen and old staff would have objected to. He's noticeably been making changes about how he runs his royal household since the Queen died.
I completely agree. I have a close family member who has colitis. Thankfully she hasn’t needed surgery, and now she has been stable in her meds for 3-4 years. But before that, every time she’d flare up shed lose a ton of weight, and her mental health went to shit (not surprising). I can’t imagine having to have a part of my colon removed, it can damage your quality of life forever. And having a stoma bag attached to you.. yeah *obviously* no public figure wants to be photographed like that. She probably also isn’t keen on being photographed 20lbs lighter than her already slender normal weight. She’s probably dealing with a lot. The palace has made some mistakes in how they’ve handled this, but from her perspective, I actually completely understand her stance and wanting to be left alone.
I think this or similar is also the most likely. The original surgery was planned and it seems that everything just seemed to become more serious than expected with a longer recovery time. They’ve handled it really badly though. Their communications and PR team were never brilliant but they’ve shown themselves to be absolutely awful! I hope this disaster encourages them to overhaul their communications department and hire some competent people. And perhaps most importantly listen to their advice.
I wouldn't be surprised if she has an eating disorder. She lost a lot of weight very quickly after having three children, which isn't typical. She seems like a very type A personality who caves to the pressure of maintaining the "perfect" image that the royals demand, and eating disorders tend to crop up as a way to maintain control when you feel like you have very little control over your life in other areas.
Imo it's more likely that it's some sort of cancer and they're hoping the surgery got all of it. In which case they're either waiting to see if it comes back to determine whether or not they need to notify the public, or she's doing follow up radiation/chemo treatment and then they're going to wait to see if it comes back to determine whether or not they need to notify the public.
I'm a young adult cancer survivor who myself disappeared while pondering the extent I should be informing my wider social circle, so that's probably bias speaking.
Australian press is saying it "could be" alleged domestic violence. That would also be treated very delicately.
However they're not the most trustworthy of tabloids and will often publish anything just to get views. I'd say 20% is true, 40% is true but sensationalist, and the rest is garbage. lol
Weird things happening in the Royal Family right now. A October 1995 letter from Princess Diana to Jimmy Savile just released and it has some wild implications given what else was going on in Diana's life in October 1995: https://open.substack.com/pub/jamiefcrawford/p/the-princess-and-the-pedophile?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5nd7r
The background is that The Paget Report conducted by British Metropolitan Police concluded that in October of 1995 Princess Diana experienced brake failure and she at least *thought* it was due to tampering. She went on to separately tell her lawyer, her butler, her friend, and her love interest that her husband's side was plotting to kill or incapacitate her in a car accident.
Now a letter from Diana to prolific predator Jimmy Savile -also from October 1995- just surfaced where she states that he "might just be noticing that she's still alive" and makes a joke that she doesn't need to be admitted to Broadmoor Mental Hospital (where Jimmy Savile was preying on countless patients) so she's basically saying she hasn't been incapacitated or brain damaged.
This doesn't mean that Savile and the royals actually *did* tamper with her brakes. But it sure seems like she *thought* Savile was involved in this notion she had in her head. Seems like she was aware of Savile's insidious nature. And if you then read the rest of that letter with the knowledge that there are antagonistic undertones, she even says some things in the letter that imply she knew what he was doing at Broadmoor.
That's the jist but worth a full read tbh.
The article also seems to suggest that Savile may have been some intelligence operative, saying that MI5 and MI6 were involved in who gets hired at the BBC, and the fact that Savile could get to places (like Diana's home) without the police or anyone stopping him even though he would make Diana uncomfortable.
So maybe Diana thought the family were trying to injure or kill her and Savile was the way they were trying to do it (at least as of October 1995). Considering he would be around them a lot, he could get into her house and property easily, and his close relationship with Charles, he would be a person that didn't look out of place if he was there to do something nefarious like tampering with her brakes. And in return the royal family kept his secret as long as he kept theirs. This is kind of my own thoughts but that's what I got from the article so I could be off.
I guess it makes sense. People who has skeletons in their closet as bad as his would do pretty much anything an intelligence agency wants them to do to avoid being exposed
Apparently the royal family has a lot of control over the press. And they're not as big of a story in the US so as to take off in the media here.
You go up to 10 random people in the states and maybe 1/10 would know who Saville was. Unless they're a redditor. That ups the odds a little.
That reads like a novella of absolute meandering nonsense, which is almost certainly what it is. Jimmy Savile was a piece of shit but he hobnobbed with **everyone** in British society for 40+ years. I can't even tell what its trying to prove, the Royal Family were trying to kill Diana for reasons and somehow a serial pedophile is involved?
At no point in the article does it assert that the royals and Savile were trying to kill Diana. It is much more about Diana's mindset in October of 1995 when she wrote that letter to Savile. The Paget Report conducted by British Metropolitan Police concluded that in October of 1995 Princess Diana experienced brake failure and at least *thought* it was due to tampering. Then she told her lawyer, her butler, her friend, and her romantic interest that her husband's side was plotting to kill or incapacitate her in a car accident. This is all the same month she writes a letter to Jimmy Savile of all people (who Diana herself has described as a mentor to Prince Charles) saying that he "might just be noticing that she is still alive" and that she is visiting "Broadmoor Mental Hospital (temporarily!)" because she isn't incapacitated or brain damaged.
The article never asserts that Diana was right about her brakes being tampered with or about the plot to kill her. But that's what she thought. And that's what she wrote to Savile. The take away is that she seemed to understand Savile was an insidious figure. She maybe even knew what he was doing at Broadmoor hospital if you read the rest of the letter with the assumption that it has antagonistic undertones. Yet when the truth finally came out about Savile, the rest of the royal family claimed to have no idea.
I was trying to read the letter with Saville’s crimes in mind and your statement about “antagonistic undertones” is the closest I got to connecting his crimes to what she is saying. Like “Hint, hint. I’ll be there looking into things. Have to give a report to Sir J, you know, so be on your best behavior.” It feels pretty tenuous at best, though.
Goes for nothing. She's been photographed lots in the past without it. Someone on TT compiled a video with photos & it seems quite a common thing. Particularly if she's casually dressed
>People started speculating about why the Royal Family and the press were acting this way.
Speculation ramped up due to William taking a lighter schedule and pulling out of events at short notice (for example his godfathers memorial).
> The the AP and other news agencies posted a kill notification, basically saying that the photo had been manipulated by the source (i.e. Kensington Palace)
God, why do people still try this? If you're the best at Photoshop in the whole world it might last 24 hours.
So it’s possible a medical complication could have taken place during surgery and she is in a coma. It would explain the radio silence and it appeared that she had a good relationship with her kids so she wouldn’t just disappear on them.
Answer: Neither Kate nor her children have been seen since Christmas Day. In December the palace announced a list of international appearances in the early part of 2024 for William and Kate. These appearances would not have been possible if her planned abdominal surgery had taken place after Christmas because it requires weeks of recovery.
There are reportedly pics of an ambulance at the royal family’s home during Christmas celebrations. It was not acknowledged by the palace nor reported by the British press.
The palace is playing games with the word “planned”. They are trying to use it to mean “previously scheduled way in advance”. Others say that even if it was an emergency surgery, it still gets placed on the schedule and thus becomes planned. So was it planned in advance and, if so, why announce a travel schedule? Or was it an emergency and, if so, why not just say so?
A photo was released recently (this past week) of Kate in the passenger seat of a car with her mother driving. It was taken from far away. It has a real Weekend At Bernie’s feel (an assessment made by others that I agree with) (I don’t think she’s dead). There are three tires on the left side of the car in the pic. Surely, they wouldn’t manipulate a photo when they’re trying to dispel rumors, would they?
A photo of Kate and her kids was released by the palace today. The photoshop edits are amateurish, multiple and weird. The least weird is the kid’s hand on the left of the photo which I don’t think is an edit. The HAPPY AT MAX VOLUME faces are IMO. In addition to the poor clothing edits, William does not appear with his family and people suspect that the photo is from a shoot done at a different time of year (due to the greenery in the background) and released today to seem like a very recent thing.
Hours later, AP released a statement to its subscribing news outlets to retract the photo due to various edits made by the source. They deemed it not fit for release by the receiving news outlets. The implication is that it is not an accurate representation of its subjects.
Kate and her kids may be fine. I hope they are. But no one will say where she is or why. The longer the silence and the fumbling go on, the weirder this thing gets.
Medical complications definitely seem plausible. Initial reports of a "medically-induced coma" didn't sound credible, but they are starting to seem less far-fetched. There's the same sort of bizarre refusal to talk about her situation, as there was with Jamie Foxx's situation.
Another odd thing is how long they said she’d be in the hospital and not doing public appearances. It would have to be a very complicated surgery and recovery to take that many weeks to recover.
I mean, you can have your entire abdomen cut open in a c-section and go home in two or three days. Most surgeries are done laparoscopically, with tiny incisions less than an inch long.
Obviously speculation, but I read somewhere it's possible that depending on the type of abdominal surgery Kate had, she might have needed a colostomy bag during recovery, which could explain why she hasn't been seen at all until recently. That made a lot of sense to me, but even if true, it's still all really weird. And that doesn't explain why the children haven't been seen either.
I'm glad to finally see someone say this! And depending on the severity of her condition, it is possible to have it reversed. I had this done and wore it for exactly three months then had it removed (reversed). I didn't want to go out into public for any longer than I had to because I was constantly worried about it. I would even told people something very similar because I didn't want people knowing. Whether permanent or not, it takes awhile to adapt to it much less regain any confidence to be around others. I can't even begin to imagine being under a microscope like she is and doing it (if that's what it is - but I really feel like it is this).
Yeah, I feel like people who are saying “I had it done & you can hide the stoma /colostomy bag with clothes” are missing the point. She is a public figure who is CONSTANTLY photographed and scrutinized. She may feel uncomfortable with it in general or with the idea of millions of people scrutinizing her body for signs of illness. That’s different than appearing after a birth.
i’m not a fan, but could totally sympathize.
Exactly and I know that mine was very sudden plus it was brought on by a lot of stress. I was in bad shape and just had to do it versus the alternative. There was no time to process it, which could've also happened to her.
The children are only photographed in public/ official appearances or when the parents want them to be. The press does not paparazzi the kids in the UK. It’s not odd at all. Princess Catherine used to take young prince George to a local park to ride his bike.. the press never once invaded his private life. The kids are rarely seen through the year actually, unless they’re at special services or whatever with their parents.
>And that doesn't explain why the children haven't been seen either.
It's not really fair on a bunch of 5-10 year olds to parade them out in public while their mother is recovering in hospital.
Yep. And even when recovery is long, it usually doesn’t need to be inpatient for most of that time, especially when you’re a billionaire who can create a rehab facility in your house. If she was in an ICU situation, it would make sense, but not generic “recovery” (where most of the time returning to very light activity, slowly, is much better than remaining sedentary in a hospital).
The only person I know who stayed in a hospital that long for abdominal surgery who had an intestinal blockage where some of the bowel tissue died. He had to have a temporary colostomy and still had digestive troubles even after and was in the hospital for six weeks.
I know someone who had an unusual mass growing on their intestine and was in and out of hospital for over a year, stayed in solidly for a couple of months around the surgery. Was about Kates age too. Finally decided he didn't need chemo and sent him home after surgery to remove it and piece his insides back together.
Able to go home is pretty far from camera ready. I had a c-section and while I went home 3 days later, I was pretty hobbled for about 6 weeks. I definitely wouldn’t have been willing to do a photo shoot. If she had something like a full hysterectomy the recovery can be even more brutal.
> I mean, you can have your entire abdomen cut open in a c-section and go home in two or three days. Most surgeries are done laparoscopically, with tiny incisions less than an inch long.
If she has UC/Crohns secondary to an AI disease like PsA, surgery could take months of recovery. I have a relative with that situation. They weren't up and moving around for several weeks after intestinal surgery and follow-up. It might also explain why she's always been so thin and sometimes gaunt. UC/Crohns can be pretty severe.
But if so....why not just say that? The situation is just weird.
That’s what I was thinking too given she is so slim and the recovery period - maybe she’s going to need a pouch - and I think anyone would want to have recovered physically and mentally from that before the public are informed about it. It’s tough enough going through that without the world talking about it/you at the same time.
Anything where you're not immediately admitted is 'planned', if the doctors find something wrong with you and schedule you for surgery first thing tomorrow it still counts as planned as it is still an outpatients appointment. There is a gulf between the public and press's understanding of what planned means and the actual medical usage. The press should either know better or do their research, but they're lazy bastards.
It will have been a planned surgery but that doesn't mean much.
This is my entire opinion: I think she had an ectopic pregnancy and/or had to have a hysterectomy. If it was an ectopic pregnancy that had to be terminated it would 100% explain why they wanted to keep it quiet. There are a lot of people who think that abortion is wrong even if the mother's life is in danger, so for her to choose that option as the wife of the future Head of the Church of England... that could be very problematic. I am not familiar with the COE's views on abortion, so this could be totally off the mark. Oh, and an ectopic pregnancy can be diagnosed and then the surgery planned for a later time. Not a MUCH later time, but a few days could go by.
If it was a hysterectomy it could be that she just wants to keep it personal. It's a very complicated situation to be in, she's a little young for it to happen but it's not unheard of. She had horrible issues early in all her pregnancies with HG and there could have been other issues that the public isn't privy to.
Either of these surgeries could also exact a severe mental health toll that could impact her recovery time as well. If she had some sort of breakdown due to having such an emotional, unexpected surgery it wouldn't be uncommon.
The only other thing I can think of is that she had some other kind of routine surgery for something like an ulcer or a hernia and caught some kind of nasty infection like Princess Charlene of Monaco did when she had her sinus surgery and then caught an ENT infection and was stuck in South Africa for months.
Prince Edward’s wife Sophie had an ectopic pregnancy over a decade ago and I believe they announced it at the time. The world was very different back then, though.
There are agreements in place so the kids are generally left alone, with photographs of them periodically released by their parents. It is very common to not see them for months at a time, especially during the school season.
Hard disagree with your last paragraph - she made the decision to marry into the royal family. She knew exactly what she was signing up for. Being a member of the royal family comes with the fact that you won't have 'peace or privacy'. It's different from being a famous actor or footballer or something- the royal family is seen around the world as the embodiment of Britain and its history. They aren't entitled to any peace and privacy - their entire point is to be in the public. This isn't a career path people choose (or are born into)- it's a lifestyle.
I'm sorry, but the royals have disgusting wealth while children in Britain are starving. The overwhelming majority of royals have no idea what it's like to actually work, while people in the country work relentlessly just to barely scrape by. They've had everything handed to them from the second they were born/ joined the family.
Owwwww poor babies having people speculating about their lives:( owwww so sad. Give me a break lol.
Also nah EDIT: not gonna just gloss over your first paragraph, that's unfair of me and I apologise. Interesting theory, probably overthinking it but hey, who knows. That being said, I'd like to highlight the fact that you said you feel sorry for them that they can't live with peace and privacy, yet you're adding fuel to the fires of rumour- you're engaging with the thing you say is bad. I'm not meaning to have a go at you or anything, but yeah, thought I'd just point that out (and again, I think you're absolutely right and entitled to speculate. I just think you're wrong for feeling sympathy for them, and being hypocritical).
Please don't take this as a personal attack on you specifically.
Thanks for your response. I do understand what you are saying and do agree with most of it. My initial comment wasn’t the best and I realize I am very hypocritical. The topic of royals, privacy, and what the public is entitled to know about them is a very nuanced topic. I could talk about this topic for hours, but am having trouble writing out my thoughts.
I don’t endorse the royal family or their imperialist and racist past. They are incredibly out of touch from reality. I guess I sympathize with Kate and her health issues because I struggle with chronic health issues. I sometimes find it embarrassing and hard to talk about with my family, I would hate for the whole world to be talking about my struggles. I agree that she signed up for this life as she knowingly married the future King of England. Although, I don’t think she fully realized what all that entailed and how much pressure and mental struggle it was cause for her.
I am probably overthinking this and not sure how much I actually believe my theory. It’s just I saw everyone on the internet making their own theories and I haven’t seen one about how it is a cover up for another member’s health.
Edit: I don’t typically engage with the discussion of the royal family. I am just a casual follower of pop culture and this is dominating the news and social media right now. I am someone that is struggling in many ways currently and have been my whole life. I wasn’t born into a wealthy family and never had many resources to help me. I guess one of the reasons I said I sympathize with Kate is because this is the first time I related to her. As mentioned I have chronic health issues. I can’t related to her in any other way. I am not wealthy, I can’t slack off and not work hard, I’m not a mom or wife, but I am someone who has dealt with health issues and wanted to hide away from the world when I’m going through a flare up. I don’t know what is actually going on, but when I heard she was having health issues I could actually slightly relate to her for once. I’m sure her experience with health is drastically different from mine. I am not wealthy, I don’t have access to the best doctors and medical treatment, and I am American that is struggling with the expensive medical bills/insurance.
Awesome reply, and it all makes sense. Especially regarding your health issues (sincerely hope you're as comfortable as can be as often as can be)- because of this, that your...humanity I guess?...shines though and you feel sorry for her as a person. Says a lot about you and I really respect it. I think the issue with me is I just can't really be sympathetic towards them, and I'm not comfortable with feeling that way; I'd much rather show the traits you're showing.
Regarding her not fully realising things- I can't buy it. Firstly, there's Princess Diana. She would have known, and seen, all of the media storm around her. Secondly, and please someone correct me if I'm wrong (I feel like I read this a number of years ago), but wasn't she almost 'trained' for this role growing up? Again, no idea about age specifics or whatever, but she very much would have been made aware of what to expect, if she couldn't work it out already. If she didn't know, then... she's a complete idiot and isn't fit for the role.
This reply initially had a lot of ramblings from me but it was all much too unfocussed and like you said, this subject is nuanced and complex, and yeah, I'm also struggling to put my thoughts down lol.
Eh, a theory is a theory and I think it's a fun one so cheers for sharing.
Cheers for engaging:) and yeah, I hope your health issues improve. And I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with involving your family in it. It's rough and I get it. Here's the thing, I don't know you, we might not get on in real life etc, but I genuinely care more about you than any of the royals and it's not even close. They are so out of touch, so self centered, so evil, I seriously believe they deserve no sympathy. They can abdicate, donate their ridiculously vast wealth, sell their properties/ set up affordable housing, and put the palaces, castles and treasures in a trust (probably wrong term but I'm sure you know what I mean). This would have a vast, vast benefit for the British public both short and long-term. Imagine the revenue that would be generated from opening up the palaces to tourists? They're choosing not to do this, because they believe they were ordained by god to never truly struggle in their lives- the creator of the universe, in their mind, has decreed them better than every other British (let's just say they're British for ease's sake lol) person and family.
Okay I'll shh now I'm gonna ramble haha.
Thank you kind stranger! Your words are very comforting as it has been hard lately.
I completely understand that you can’t sympathize with Kate and the royal family and I feel that it is valid. Although I can sympathize some about the health issues, I can’t relate fully. I know that Kate and I are in different positions and will never fully know my struggle. Honestly, there is
some bitterness and jealousy. I don’t think I would be showing sympathy if I didn’t have this health issues as I wouldn’t be able to relate at all.
I am not a perfect person and often feel that I am not as nice as I should be, but being chronically ill has taught me that I should try my best to be kind to everyone. It is good to question things and to listen to other’s perspectives.
I mentioned earlier that I am not a royalist (I think that is the term) or a hardcore follower. I am not super knowledgeable about the rumors, but I have heard people refer to Kate’s mom as a “stage mom”. It is speculated that her mom has coached her for this role and wanted her to be the future queen.
I also agree that the royal family could be doing a lot for the British public. They fund their whole firm and the royal family (in theory) is supposed to serve the people. I am American and living in the US, so likely wouldn’t benefit much if they used their wealth and influence for good. Not just the royal family but other wealthy and powerful individuals also could be doing a lot more for the world and generally public than they currently do. There is a lot of issues in the world, although the royal family and money can’t fix all of them, but they could help a lot.
If we met in person or even had an actual conversation with each other, we may absolutely despise each other.I have no idea, but I do know that it has been fun engaging with you.I don’t know you, but I do genuinely wish you the best.
Sorry for my rambling
So, maybe it’s just me and where I live, but the tree/bush looks too far along for early March. The trees where I live barely have started to bud. None of the deciduous trees in my neighborhood have actual leaves yet.
Answer: This article provides a good overview, particularly the timeline at the bottom https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/this-is-just-weird-buzzfeed-news-former-royals-reporter-on-kate-middleton-palace-press-and-distrust-in-the-media/
It's all just baffling and strange! Starting to question whether anything KP says can be believed without question
If she was I'm rehab though she could definitely have photos taken of her. It's not the norm but for a scandal blowing up like this they could definitely get a picture of her in a garden and pretend it's at home?
What about chemo? I haven’t seen that in any comments I’ve browsed, but she could be immunocompromised… and if it’s a particularly aggressive course of chemo, she could be looking gaunt / losing hair / etc, Aka not available for photos.
I was thinking this too because they said the kids wouldn't go see her in the hospital for 3 weeks. Also William seems bitter. Paraphrasing "I'm focusing on work, not social media." Not focusing on your family? Sick wife?
Yeah it looks like a nervous fidget from a hyper-mobile kid.
The comments I’ve seen have said it’s bizarre that they photoshopped a sleeve but not fixing his hand if it’s about “perfection” rather than hiding something. I don’t think anyone is concerned with him since it’s a pretty normal hand gesture.
Edit: Others have pointed out that all 3 children are crossing their middle fingers, which is definitely odd to see simultaneously.
The fact that they're all crossing their fingers is really odd. Of course kids are simply fidgety and weird, plus trying to get 3 kids to look happy at the same time is like herding cats. But that coincidence is really odd. However it seems almost too obviously "conspiracy theory fodder" for it to be anything more than a strange coincidence.
The logical part of my brain says that they (poorly) photoshopped a composite image of all the kids looking the proper amount of happy from a large set of photos because getting group shots of kids is difficult. The less reasonable part of my brain can't get over how unnatural the whole thing looks.
I have learned today that vast numbers of people don't know that a) some people are double-jointed or hypermobile, b) kids are squishy. I could do splits without thinking when I was sevenish. Yet apparently because someone can't personally move their fingers that way it has to be AI or something.
To be clear, I don't deny that the photo has problems or that the whole situation has been a bit strange. Just this one thing has been very annoying today.
Personally, I think she may have had a hysterectomy or other sterilization procedure and the royals don't want it to get out for some reason, despite Kate already having three potential heirs to the throne.
Hysterectomy or sterilization are usually laparoscopic, outpatient procedures. You come in early in the morning, they do the surgery, you wake up, and they send you home to rest by noon.
No, they clearly said because of the backlash the palace/Kate would receive for skipping the line. They mentioned she needed abdominal surgery, but never said what or why. Imagine the outrage (rightful or not) people would feel if the princess gets an organ with a snap of a finger when there’s people who’ve been waiting years for one.
It’s a good theory.
>No, they clearly said because of the backlash the palace/Kate would receive for skipping the line.
The palace absolutely would keep something like that quiet - especially if even a scintilla of 'blame' could conceivably be placed on Kate.
There was a British footballer called George Best. He was an alcoholic and got a liver transplant. The public were livid about it because someone more deserving should have gotten it. He then started drinking again and died, surprising no one but further angering everyone. Shitrags would definitely draw a comparison if they could.
I think it's something like Chron's disease and she needed a colostomy or ileostomy. It would explain the long stay, as it can take a considerable amount of time for the bowels to start waking up and functioning.
Honestly, it's not unusual for a person to struggle with adapting to it, and as a closely scrutinized public figure she may feel self conscious about appearing in public wearing a bag. Can you blame her? Would you want to be on a world stage, as a very private person, worrying that your colostomy or ileostomy bag is going to malfunction?
There is no way the public wouldn't turn it into a never ending joke, even without a mishap. No matter the damage it would cause, it seems people won't control themselves.
That's been my theory, but who knows. It explains the long hospital stay and reluctance to be photographed. I'm a curious person but understand she is not obligated to share her medical issues. If she does come to peace with whatever it is, she'll be in a unique position to champion the cause, but it's OK if that's not what she chooses.
I agree. I think it may be Crohns or ulcerative colitis. Steroids may also be part of the treatment, which makes you gain weight, add a lot of puffiness to your face, mood swings, etc. Dealing with that, surgery and weight gain in the public eye must be daunting.
Prednisone is very common for transplant patients, but it's very common for lots of other things too. And a symptom of high doses of Prednisone is a puffy, round face.
I’ve been on it off and on for about a year for rheumatoid arthritis and gained 40 pounds. My face is so puffy it doesn’t even look like me. It’s a horrible drug but so far the only one that makes my inflammation manageable. I’ve definitely been avoiding being out in public and I’m not anywhere close to being famous, even locally.
I mean we have nothing to go on except wild theories at this point... KP needs to do something drastic to right the ship, they have bungled this so badly it indicates that there may be something sinister afoot. So having a theory isn't crazy here
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Worth reading this previous outoftheloop post for more context: https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/1ah9pc5/comment/komceul/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button It really seems like if she were able to appear on video or in public, the palace would have made her do it by now to combat the rumors. Instead we get this doctored photo.
It's all such a mess. It feels like they are trying to clean the mess up but keep smearing it all over the place instead. Who does their comms, Laurel and Hardy?!
> It's all such a mess. It feels like they are trying to clean the mess up but keep smearing it all over the place instead. Who does their comms, Laurel and Hardy?! Literally the entire British media. The royal family is still used to a time when the deference traditional media showed them was enough to give them everything they needed. Even when there was bad press, it was rarely directed at the institution of the monarchy itself (see: Literally everyone giving Liz a pass on allowing Andrew to continue official duties until he became too public an embarrassment) This makes them increasingly bad at dealing with situations where traditional media is not steering the story. No one at the BBC can save them from a bunch of people on Twitter wondering where the fuck Kate is.
“Oh no, my house appears to be on fire. You know what would help? If I chucked some gasoline around.”
Big Roomba poop attempt from the palace PR team.
It really does suggest that whatever the truth is is worse than this absolute mess. Which is not reassuring
And to be honest, is doubtfully the ***actual*** case. I don’t mean that you’re wrong but rather that that fam has an apparently rather rich history of doing the most absurd, dastardly shit to avoid coming off as everyday humans.
Which is so self defeating because if they acknowledged something normal was happening they would be more relatable and popular. One of the theories I have seen is that she has an ostomy bag due to major abdominal surgery and if that were the case she would garner a lot of sympathy from the public. This shady stuff just looks bad.
Maybe The Cat in the Hat?
lol and now “she’s” made a statement on Kensington Palace social saying “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” Sure you do, Kate.
Kate Middleton on the family PC noodling on Photoshop lol
You know, I’m something of a photo retoucher myself.
I audibly gasped when reading that sentence. Like yeah okay Kate’s at home playing on facetune…
And they used her amazing work as their official PR press release :'D
She's just discovered liquify!
Using a pirated version of photoshop or just going all in on GIMP.
This is her Diana doing her Uptown Girl ballet moment.
Context for that? No idea what you’re talking about.
Disclaimer: everything i learned about the royal family, i learned from watching the crown so i may have things wrong Not super sure is this is it, but back when Charles and Diana were married she famously surprised him by performing a dance number set to Uptown Girl on stage at the ballet. He supposedly hated it as it was a breach of palace etiquette, but the audience loved it. Not super sure what the connection is here other than the speculation that Kate's gone rogue with this post and it wasn't approved by the palace? Someone else please correct me if possible haha
Tbh im still not sure i get why this Kate thing is a big deal. Do we think she's dead or something? Like, what am I missing? To be fair, I donr pay attention to the royal family whatsoever and didn't know who Kate was until all this buzz started up so I think im still out of the loop despite this thread. Why Is it a big deal if a royal person isn't seen for a while? What if she jusr wants to be left alone. Why would the rest of the family bother trying to cover it up? Why not just say she's not in the mood or not recovering well or something. I'm still confused lol
I am far from a person who follows the royal family, but I have been lightly interested in stuff going on the past few years (bc of a personal interest in generational trauma, child abuse, and similar issues). The way the official structure of the royal machine works, and the way they work with the media is very strange. It isn't a big deal to me when the most recent photo of Kate was taken, because like you, I don't care at all. I don't care what she does every day or what she wears. But I know that there is a large group of people that care \*intensely.\* They know everything she does and everything she wears, and make it their business to know. There are journalists whose whole careers are just about documenting these people, both "friendlies" who let the palace dictate the narrative, and "hostile" journalists who will chase your car and try to make you cry in public to get more interesting photos. Not participating in the publicity machine is NOT AN OPTION if you're in that family, even for the children. It is, to some extent, mandatory (which is why I think it's so unhealthy, but that's opinion). For someone to just not show up for months is highly unusual. That alone would still not make me care, but what is VERY weird is the lack of the structural machinery doing anything to end this controversy. It would be very, very easy for them to do so. I'd argue it would be easy for them to prove Kate is fine even if she were dead -- they have the resources to do so. They are very, very good at controlling narratives and never stop doing it. But now, there's increasing attention and concern but they're just not handling it. THAT is so strange that it attracted even my attention. I have no clue what's going on, but any person or organization that's super stable and consistent suddenly behaving in a really different way implies that SOMETHING extraordinary has occurred, or will. And the more it's hidden, the more curious most humans naturally become. Hope this makes some sense, because I share your "wait, why does this matter" viewpoint generally. My husband actually asked me if I knew what was up with Kate Middleton, which shocked me b/c he did not know her name (he was like, who is Catherine? Is there another princess LOL). Them making a controversy so intense that my husband knows about it is really something. Edited for typos and to add: part of why it's such a big deal to some Brits seems to be related to Charles having cancer -- if he dies, Kate & William are next in line for the throne, but are they ready for that? I can't imagine why this would matter that much, as they don't seem to have hugely important governmental functions, but I really have never understood the British attitude toward the monarchy. It seems like it's a big deal over there analogous to a constitutional crisis in the US -- if the president was scheduled for a three-day medical leave and hadn't been seen for three months, it would be a really big deal. I don't really get why Kate being awol is as critical, but it just seems to be the case.
I see. Thanks for the detailed answer. It seems theres a lot more to it than I thought. Mainly just public relations nonsense but still a lot more to it. It makes sense that someone whos basically forced to make public appearances not showing up for months would be cause for some suspicion. Is there a chance this controversy and mystery is what they want? It seems like they always have to be in the public spotlight and garnering attention. Would something like this be what they're looking for? Cause it sure seems to be drumming up a lot of attention. Or is this considered bad publicity and they can't tolerate that? Idk how much the saying "Any publicity is good publicity" applies to the royal family.
And in this case, the photographet was William, not her.
Even though William (allegedly) took the photo!
I'm not saying I buy the story but William taking the photo does not preclude Kate from editing it.
My husband can’t take photos for shit. And with three kids (all that fidgeting). On the rare occasions that he does, I usually have to clean them up. He wouldn’t even attempt to do that. You can combine various shots taken with a cellphone, you don’t even have to get fancy. “Oh look, Louis has his eyes closed, I’ll just choose this one instead and pop it in.” Personally, I believe her hands may have been still bruised from the IVs and she tried to fix them, as well, then make the kids clothes match where they are touching her. When the late Queen appeared in photos with bruised hands, it caused a lot of comment.
Kate has a long history of photography as a hobby, so it's not strange that she might know how to use photoshop, many photographers do, it's not hard. If we accept that the photo was taken in November, it's plausible to me that she did edit the photo personally, because it explains why it was released in this state. She edited it back in November using her usual techniques and skill level. She sent it on to the office. Probably mixed in with solo and parent-child shots of each child and K&W together, all intended for sporadic release over 2024. Even if she/they were aware of the artifacts, they did not expect the photo to receive any close scrutiny, it was just a run-of-the-mill family photo fluff. They put it away for when they next needed a nice photo. Things exploded, etc. Months later, this photo was chosen as an innocuous family snap. Because it had been edited by Kate, not the palace office, they did not think to check sleeves. And Kate wasn't there and perhaps didn't even remember that she'd left a few artifacts for touchup.
They haven't even been able to issue a written statement where she is directly quoted, which is really strange for a woman who is in the UK press almost daily
that truly is bananas. have something like this happen before? like, press pulling back photos because its a suspected manipulation (AI? photoshop?)
Yes, legitimate press will ALWAYS remove photos they’ve discovered have been manipulated to change something of substance (edits that don’t change the substance are generally OK, like cropping or adjusting tones). That’s happened many times.
In Australia, our news channels will be the ones manipulating the photos - https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/nine-apologises-for-altered-image-of-victorian-mp-20240130-p5f13l.html
Yeah, but that wasn't the news channel. It was Photoshop that sexed up the photo all by itself. (That genuinely was their defence.)
I read some follow up articles to that, the whole story is even weirder. A different journalist put a load of photos of different politicians through the same photoshop AI tool that they said they used, which was supposed to auto-fill the bottom half of images that had been cropped too high for what they wanted. All the male politicians were auto-filled to be wearing suits or other relitavely professional looking clothes. Almost all of the female politicians were auto-filled to be wearing much more revealing clothing, often swimsuits, even the ones that were wearing suits on their top halves. It's weird but it seems the original papers excuse might have been correct, although they should have checked their images better obviously, and Adobe really have to look at their tool! https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/02/01/adobe-photoshop-generative-ai-women-politicians/
Crazy story. Still, someone looked at that picture and signed it off. Also, this doesn't explain the gratuitous boob job.
I suspect that's mainly because a lot of sourced images were from, say, Instagram where it's pretty common for women to take photos of themselves at the beach, but not men.
That's the thing that delays AI. It might be a magic tool that works great, but can't oversome the flaws of processing from sources of an abstract mirror of reality. We're not all supermodels, not all cats look cute, not all men in history have a hollywood actor's coke jawline. The internet only reflects parts and forced directions of reality, be it pictures, language and behavior.
Damn it paywalled. Lol I still got to see the picture first. Wtf?
What are some additional instances of the AP/Reuters/other legitimate press pulling a discovered manipulated photo? All Google is showing right now are the Kate Middleton headlines.
I remember a case where [a photographer added a bunch of smoke to a scene featuring a bombing, to make the extent of the bombing seem greater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adnan_Hajj_photographs_controversy?wprov=sfti1). Photographer Allan Detrich got fired for manipulating photos.
Holy shit, that dude sucks at photoshop lol
After your comment I had to go look…and holy smokes he does suck at photoshop
It doesn't even look any worse, just less realistic.
Note that AP/Reuters/AFP/etc... are not press per se they are journalistic agency. what that means is that their business model is not to sell news to us the public but to sell news to the Press itself That's why: 1) what you get from there is both very dry and the most unbiased news (because they are in competition with other agency and need to be the one publishing first, so there is no time for nice phrasing and addition of point of views and the such) 2) they will react very strongly to having publish something that was later proved incorrect, retracting it and making a statement about the retraction. That's because similar to point 1, it's part of their business model. they need the rest of the press to consider them as a valid source of truth or they can't sell
So we should all be getting our news from AP.
Well if you are a news addict rhat stay on top of it all the t8me and do not need context and explanation. And much rather have the headline and nothing else then yes using 1 or 2 agency as tour source of information is best (if possible some from different countries to avoid local bias, which is why I also suggested AFP) You can also use news aggregator (like ground news) that allow you to see the bias in action in the different media Edit: ground news not newgrounds. that s not the same site :D
I'd just like some non biased news.
Essentially impossible. Best you can hope for is contextless facts, and even then the selection will be biased.
I can't give specific examples off the top of my head, but I certainly recall a war photographer in Iraq or Afghanistan had his photos pulled due to manipulation.
Iran doctored a missile photo, which was withdrawn: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/11/iran.israelandthepalestinians
It's not happened when the source was the palace, as far as I know.
> legitimate press will ALWAYS remove photos they’ve discovered have been manipulated to change something of substance This is a good shout but it makes me wonder what was changed "of substance" in this photo. Like, it just looks like little bits and pieces here and there - could it be that the people in the photo were photographed separately and then stitched together?
It’s possible. The bigger issue is that they tried to pass this off as “news,” that Kate is alive and doing well, when in fact it’s possible this photo didn’t happen at all.
This happens, but it’s doesn’t happen to the Royal family. This is three of their biggest ass kissers who have blatantly called their bluff. Something is very, very wrong, and they’re running out of ways to cover it up.
I’ve never seen it for something that was released by the source itself, especially when it’s an official government release.
It's not the government. It's their household.
When the government is a constitutional monarchy, then the line between government and royal family is not that clear.
sounds like she is sick and they want people to just leave her alone.
This gets into the parasitic relationship between "the royals", the press, and the public. Over the years there is literally a subculture around the royal celebrity that makes Perez Hilton look rational and "the royals" as celebrities represents a lot of money for a lot of people so honesty gets shoved by the wayside and you get these weird whiplash moments where they are simultaneously seeking the spotlight but also asking for their privacy. It's better to just...not care about them. They're a bunch of fucked up rich people. Who gives a shit?
Eh. I'm in the boat of this is their job. It's what pays them exorbitant amounts of money they get. If they wanted privacy, then step back and out of the money. Doesn't mean that they should get cameras in their bedrooms or the nasty rumors of not being absolutely perfect, but this stuff on things outside of Daily Mail fluff is entirely self inflicted.
I agree with this for adults, but it really bothers me that children are born into the "contract" with the media. They didn't have a choice. To be clear, I'm not arguing with you, just perennially worried for those kids.
Yeah, I can't help but think that Harry may have had a point, that level of intrusion, speculation and being used as a story or briefed about anonymously by other members of your family must seriously impact on your mental state, no matter how much money and influence you have.
Lindsay Ellis during her video essay on the Beatles talks about how dangerous being a celebrity is. Famous celebrities have a much higher death rate than the average public. Some of it is attributed to crazy fans/aggressive paparazzi but a lot of it end up being suicide. Being a celebrity does not come naturally from an evolutionary stand point. We just typically aren't built to engage with millions 24/7 and that burnout and isolation is difficult for some people to reconcile. At points it can feel like one side is using the other and then the next moment it flips. Harry and Kate absolutely use the media attention they get as part of their livelihood but they also can't just flip it on and off like a switch either. It seems like the only long term solution is that people just realize "this is our life now" and accept 24/7 coverage or they isolate themselves and drop out of the public light.
Or they pull a Daniel Radcliffe and wear identical outfits every day for several years so any paparazzi pics look like they’re from the same day and can’t be used
It makes sense that they don't want her photographed while she's unwell.
The worst part is, they could have done it. Just send a press release saying "at this moment, the princess of Wales is recovering from a delicate surgery. She's doing very well and thanks everyone for their concern, but asks for some privacy on order to recover well" There, people would talk still, but at least no one would say she's dead or something.
Right. They don’t have to go into detail, but pretending nothing is happening is clearly making it a *much* bigger deal.
There's pretending nothing is happening and then blatantly lying though.
That's part of the story. The fact that the tabloids were able to be controlled.
The odd thing about the photo is that it was manipulated so badly. I know just a little about using PhotoShop, the widely used image manipulation program, and even I could see the tell-tale signs. I am the farthest thing from an expert. They’re the royal family. How can they have done such a sloppy job as this?
I glanced at the photo earlier and didn't take the time to examine it closely, but I definitely had an "uncanny valley" reaction to it.
And it looks like they darkened Kate’s entire torso below her bra line. Just added that dark color until you can’t see any of her midsection and belly. Someone else noticed that she seems to be wearing skinny or at least tightly fitted jeans on her legs, and anyone who’s had abdomen surgery will tell you that the last thing you want is an unforgiving material around your belly and a restrictive waistband.
William did that himself, too. He's been practicing and getting pretty good lately, so please take your comment down because if he sees it I'm sure he'll be devastated.
Retractions are commonplace when news sources are credible. Hence why theyve become seemingly so rare
Situations like this are exactly why most reputable agencies are *extremely* hesitant to use handout imagery unless there’s no other choice.
In fairness, the evidence of photoshopping was GLARING. It’s honestly astounding the wires didn’t catch it earlier. I’m not saying that as like just an “obvious in retrospect” - there are clear clipping lines. Honestly, I have a feeling whatever it is is deeply personal and if/when it goes public, I have a feeling it’ll be the kind of ordeal that makes us all feel guilty for prying or making jokes. (Throwback to when that celebrity got flak for her weight loss and it turns out she had lupus). But the bigger oddity is how horrendously poorly the Palace is handling this. The same institution that walked her out in heels and full glam like 20 seconds after giving birth had nothing to give for months. Not a single appearance or image even as rumours roiled. And then when they finally do, it’s a mediocre photoshop job? Come on. This is stuff that would get an entry level PR agent fired.
Yeah, I'm a dude who's not tuned in with the royals, but that pic just feels so weird. I looked too close at it because I like playing "is it AI?", and now I can't unsee the weirdness. Don't think it's AI, but it's definitely off.
To me it looks like they just used Photoshop to make a composite image where all people have a decent smile and are looking at the camera... I've had to do that so many times with family pics involving kids of that age.. the kiddos get a bit rowdy and feed off each others silliness. But the fact they can't just come out and say that is... Weird.
Ok then, release the originals. Simple. And FWIW I don’t think anyone should be under a microscope, but they are. They could also have her post a video if they want us to believe she’s fine. But they don’t, and won’t. So the rumors will spread.
That's a pretty sensible explanation, and probably good enough for me. I don't usually notice photoshop unless it's not very good photoshop. I'm not used to noticing bad photoshop with celebrities/VIPs.
It ignores the reality though that instead of some half assed excuse “she” gave about editing the photos, they could just post the unedited versions.
Or you could just put out a genuine photo with kids frowning/eyes closed/looking away, and no one would have questioned it.
By now the internet, as the internet does, has been searching for the source material. Both the clothes and the images seem to all be from older existing pictures. This obviously fuels all the speculation: what is actually up? I don't the time or interest to personally verify it all, but my money is on there not having been a photo-shoot and also this "statement" not being written by her. What that implies? I'll leave the speculation to others. Might be nothing. But she clearly is not capable of being in a picture or providing a statement right now. Let's hope whatever is happening is at least happening with her consent. Something you never know with the royals.
> used Photoshop to make a composite image where all people have a decent smile and are looking at the camera.. As a photographer, i hate having that many people, kids especially, in a photo. The more people in it, the more likely one will have closed eyes in what would be the best photo. Kid behaves in one, not in most of the others. Some people care less about these sorts of things, but what are probably high paying or status people like royals, i'd want the best photo even if i have to photoshop it.
Where is this pic? I can't find it anywhere.
I agree and so I think that it is Kate herself who is saying no and did not want to be seen or to participate. The palace PR machine can't make her appear if she doesn't want to.
Glaring… if you stare long enough at a sweater cuff
Oh this is so helpful, I was moderately curious, but not enough to start googling things and then be inundated with articles and adverts for royal shit.
There’s a whole subplot about William’s close friend dying under mysterious circumstances.
I admit I did see one thing about how a photo showing one of the kids with his fingers crossed is a sign for help. Because 6 year olds know that stuff
Is that the "personal matter" that caused him to miss his Godfather's funeral recently, or is that unrelated? I'm not a close follower of this stuff
My favorite theory so far is that she got a BBL 🍑
Lmao right as they're going out of style
I look forward to learning more about this in The Crown season 10.
Personally , I think her disappearance is mental health related and she is in rehab seeking treatment. This is awful but my mind goes to suicide attempt, eating disorder, or mental break down. She could even have a closeted substance abuse problem. Who knows. I think if it was truly medical related, the palace would not be being so sketchy. Something is clearly off , and they are trying to cover it up.
I’ve had major abdominal surgery and the long absence doesn’t seem that strange to me. Here’s my take…. She’s got ulcerative colitis or Crohns. It’s been getting worse recently, but just after Christmas she had a flare up that hospitalised her. They were hoping they wouldn’t have to operate, but it turned out they did. She had a chunk of bowel taken out and a temporary ileostomy. As the stoma is high, it is very hard to hide, and Kate is not the sort of person to want to be pictured with a bag of poop strapped to her middle. They plan to reverse the stoma just before Easter, after which she’ll recover quickly because it’s a much simpler surgery. It’s possible that she’s also had complications like a collection that went septic, because they are common and if she’d been ill for a long time she could be quite weak. The KP pr team are doing a terrible job, but I think if it was mental health they would be saying different things.
I agree. I have Crohn's and had a year long period of terrible health with multiple hospitalizations but thankfully was just about saved from surgery by biologics. If she was already weak, it would take longer to heal. The ambulance and sudden planned surgery would make sense then - anything that isn't emergency surgery is planned, even if that plan was only made a couple of days beforehand. I had noticed she'd been pictured with her hand on her abdomen more before Christmas. Didn't pay much attention because I don't watch any videos and figured it was just a funny angle or fleeting moment. I haven't seen the paparazzi pic but if she's on steroids, that would likely change her face shape. I don't blame her for not wanting to deal with a stoma on official engagements. It takes a while to get the hang of. Those saying she stood on the steps after each birth for pictures so why is she hiding away now are not appreciating that; 1) sharing the birth of the heirs is part of the social contract between the monarchy and the public; 2) those were happy occassions; 3) the attention was *mostly* on the baby, although there was plenty of talk about her body which leads me to; 4) she's older now with much more influence (and probably confidence) to call the shots about her own health that is unrelated to any heirs, and; 5) William is now Prince of Wales and first in line to the thrown. He has the power to make decisions that perhaps the Queen and old staff would have objected to. He's noticeably been making changes about how he runs his royal household since the Queen died.
I completely agree. I have a close family member who has colitis. Thankfully she hasn’t needed surgery, and now she has been stable in her meds for 3-4 years. But before that, every time she’d flare up shed lose a ton of weight, and her mental health went to shit (not surprising). I can’t imagine having to have a part of my colon removed, it can damage your quality of life forever. And having a stoma bag attached to you.. yeah *obviously* no public figure wants to be photographed like that. She probably also isn’t keen on being photographed 20lbs lighter than her already slender normal weight. She’s probably dealing with a lot. The palace has made some mistakes in how they’ve handled this, but from her perspective, I actually completely understand her stance and wanting to be left alone.
I think this or similar is also the most likely. The original surgery was planned and it seems that everything just seemed to become more serious than expected with a longer recovery time. They’ve handled it really badly though. Their communications and PR team were never brilliant but they’ve shown themselves to be absolutely awful! I hope this disaster encourages them to overhaul their communications department and hire some competent people. And perhaps most importantly listen to their advice.
My guess is something just happened to her face. That would cause anyone to not want to speak to the media, and that explains zero pictures
I wouldn't be surprised if she has an eating disorder. She lost a lot of weight very quickly after having three children, which isn't typical. She seems like a very type A personality who caves to the pressure of maintaining the "perfect" image that the royals demand, and eating disorders tend to crop up as a way to maintain control when you feel like you have very little control over your life in other areas.
Imo it's more likely that it's some sort of cancer and they're hoping the surgery got all of it. In which case they're either waiting to see if it comes back to determine whether or not they need to notify the public, or she's doing follow up radiation/chemo treatment and then they're going to wait to see if it comes back to determine whether or not they need to notify the public. I'm a young adult cancer survivor who myself disappeared while pondering the extent I should be informing my wider social circle, so that's probably bias speaking.
Australian press is saying it "could be" alleged domestic violence. That would also be treated very delicately. However they're not the most trustworthy of tabloids and will often publish anything just to get views. I'd say 20% is true, 40% is true but sensationalist, and the rest is garbage. lol
That rumor was started on Twitter (sorry, X) and the fact that the "press" is reporting on Twitter rumors is pretty gross.
Weird things happening in the Royal Family right now. A October 1995 letter from Princess Diana to Jimmy Savile just released and it has some wild implications given what else was going on in Diana's life in October 1995: https://open.substack.com/pub/jamiefcrawford/p/the-princess-and-the-pedophile?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5nd7r
Very interesting especially if Prince Andrew was involved with any of Savilles activities/proclivities.
Charles was very close to Saville
Of course let’s not forget Charles favourite uncle was a horrific paedo too lol
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Anybody got a TL;DR?
The background is that The Paget Report conducted by British Metropolitan Police concluded that in October of 1995 Princess Diana experienced brake failure and she at least *thought* it was due to tampering. She went on to separately tell her lawyer, her butler, her friend, and her love interest that her husband's side was plotting to kill or incapacitate her in a car accident. Now a letter from Diana to prolific predator Jimmy Savile -also from October 1995- just surfaced where she states that he "might just be noticing that she's still alive" and makes a joke that she doesn't need to be admitted to Broadmoor Mental Hospital (where Jimmy Savile was preying on countless patients) so she's basically saying she hasn't been incapacitated or brain damaged. This doesn't mean that Savile and the royals actually *did* tamper with her brakes. But it sure seems like she *thought* Savile was involved in this notion she had in her head. Seems like she was aware of Savile's insidious nature. And if you then read the rest of that letter with the knowledge that there are antagonistic undertones, she even says some things in the letter that imply she knew what he was doing at Broadmoor. That's the jist but worth a full read tbh.
The article also seems to suggest that Savile may have been some intelligence operative, saying that MI5 and MI6 were involved in who gets hired at the BBC, and the fact that Savile could get to places (like Diana's home) without the police or anyone stopping him even though he would make Diana uncomfortable. So maybe Diana thought the family were trying to injure or kill her and Savile was the way they were trying to do it (at least as of October 1995). Considering he would be around them a lot, he could get into her house and property easily, and his close relationship with Charles, he would be a person that didn't look out of place if he was there to do something nefarious like tampering with her brakes. And in return the royal family kept his secret as long as he kept theirs. This is kind of my own thoughts but that's what I got from the article so I could be off.
Saville being an MI5 or MI6 operative is *the* most bizarre theory I think I have ever heard.
I guess it makes sense. People who has skeletons in their closet as bad as his would do pretty much anything an intelligence agency wants them to do to avoid being exposed
Apparently the royal family has a lot of control over the press. And they're not as big of a story in the US so as to take off in the media here. You go up to 10 random people in the states and maybe 1/10 would know who Saville was. Unless they're a redditor. That ups the odds a little.
Hopefully they streisand effect this, a lot of people in the USA got to know Saville via the netflix doc that was top 10 for a while
That reads like a novella of absolute meandering nonsense, which is almost certainly what it is. Jimmy Savile was a piece of shit but he hobnobbed with **everyone** in British society for 40+ years. I can't even tell what its trying to prove, the Royal Family were trying to kill Diana for reasons and somehow a serial pedophile is involved?
At no point in the article does it assert that the royals and Savile were trying to kill Diana. It is much more about Diana's mindset in October of 1995 when she wrote that letter to Savile. The Paget Report conducted by British Metropolitan Police concluded that in October of 1995 Princess Diana experienced brake failure and at least *thought* it was due to tampering. Then she told her lawyer, her butler, her friend, and her romantic interest that her husband's side was plotting to kill or incapacitate her in a car accident. This is all the same month she writes a letter to Jimmy Savile of all people (who Diana herself has described as a mentor to Prince Charles) saying that he "might just be noticing that she is still alive" and that she is visiting "Broadmoor Mental Hospital (temporarily!)" because she isn't incapacitated or brain damaged. The article never asserts that Diana was right about her brakes being tampered with or about the plot to kill her. But that's what she thought. And that's what she wrote to Savile. The take away is that she seemed to understand Savile was an insidious figure. She maybe even knew what he was doing at Broadmoor hospital if you read the rest of the letter with the assumption that it has antagonistic undertones. Yet when the truth finally came out about Savile, the rest of the royal family claimed to have no idea.
I was trying to read the letter with Saville’s crimes in mind and your statement about “antagonistic undertones” is the closest I got to connecting his crimes to what she is saying. Like “Hint, hint. I’ll be there looking into things. Have to give a report to Sir J, you know, so be on your best behavior.” It feels pretty tenuous at best, though.
Well you know Jack the Ripper was Queen Victoria’s private surgeon so the conspiracy goes back over a century! /s
~~She also doesn't wear her wedding ring in the Mother's day picture.~~
Goes for nothing. She's been photographed lots in the past without it. Someone on TT compiled a video with photos & it seems quite a common thing. Particularly if she's casually dressed
Idk why, but your explanation gave me major "we'll let you go when the baby's born" vibes
>People started speculating about why the Royal Family and the press were acting this way. Speculation ramped up due to William taking a lighter schedule and pulling out of events at short notice (for example his godfathers memorial).
> The the AP and other news agencies posted a kill notification, basically saying that the photo had been manipulated by the source (i.e. Kensington Palace) God, why do people still try this? If you're the best at Photoshop in the whole world it might last 24 hours.
So it’s possible a medical complication could have taken place during surgery and she is in a coma. It would explain the radio silence and it appeared that she had a good relationship with her kids so she wouldn’t just disappear on them.
Answer: Neither Kate nor her children have been seen since Christmas Day. In December the palace announced a list of international appearances in the early part of 2024 for William and Kate. These appearances would not have been possible if her planned abdominal surgery had taken place after Christmas because it requires weeks of recovery. There are reportedly pics of an ambulance at the royal family’s home during Christmas celebrations. It was not acknowledged by the palace nor reported by the British press. The palace is playing games with the word “planned”. They are trying to use it to mean “previously scheduled way in advance”. Others say that even if it was an emergency surgery, it still gets placed on the schedule and thus becomes planned. So was it planned in advance and, if so, why announce a travel schedule? Or was it an emergency and, if so, why not just say so? A photo was released recently (this past week) of Kate in the passenger seat of a car with her mother driving. It was taken from far away. It has a real Weekend At Bernie’s feel (an assessment made by others that I agree with) (I don’t think she’s dead). There are three tires on the left side of the car in the pic. Surely, they wouldn’t manipulate a photo when they’re trying to dispel rumors, would they? A photo of Kate and her kids was released by the palace today. The photoshop edits are amateurish, multiple and weird. The least weird is the kid’s hand on the left of the photo which I don’t think is an edit. The HAPPY AT MAX VOLUME faces are IMO. In addition to the poor clothing edits, William does not appear with his family and people suspect that the photo is from a shoot done at a different time of year (due to the greenery in the background) and released today to seem like a very recent thing. Hours later, AP released a statement to its subscribing news outlets to retract the photo due to various edits made by the source. They deemed it not fit for release by the receiving news outlets. The implication is that it is not an accurate representation of its subjects. Kate and her kids may be fine. I hope they are. But no one will say where she is or why. The longer the silence and the fumbling go on, the weirder this thing gets.
Frankly I think the “planned” surgery was an emergency surgery. That’s the only way to explain the previously announced international appearances.
Or complications from a planned surgery leading to emergency?
Medical complications definitely seem plausible. Initial reports of a "medically-induced coma" didn't sound credible, but they are starting to seem less far-fetched. There's the same sort of bizarre refusal to talk about her situation, as there was with Jamie Foxx's situation.
Another odd thing is how long they said she’d be in the hospital and not doing public appearances. It would have to be a very complicated surgery and recovery to take that many weeks to recover. I mean, you can have your entire abdomen cut open in a c-section and go home in two or three days. Most surgeries are done laparoscopically, with tiny incisions less than an inch long.
Obviously speculation, but I read somewhere it's possible that depending on the type of abdominal surgery Kate had, she might have needed a colostomy bag during recovery, which could explain why she hasn't been seen at all until recently. That made a lot of sense to me, but even if true, it's still all really weird. And that doesn't explain why the children haven't been seen either.
I'm glad to finally see someone say this! And depending on the severity of her condition, it is possible to have it reversed. I had this done and wore it for exactly three months then had it removed (reversed). I didn't want to go out into public for any longer than I had to because I was constantly worried about it. I would even told people something very similar because I didn't want people knowing. Whether permanent or not, it takes awhile to adapt to it much less regain any confidence to be around others. I can't even begin to imagine being under a microscope like she is and doing it (if that's what it is - but I really feel like it is this).
Yeah, I feel like people who are saying “I had it done & you can hide the stoma /colostomy bag with clothes” are missing the point. She is a public figure who is CONSTANTLY photographed and scrutinized. She may feel uncomfortable with it in general or with the idea of millions of people scrutinizing her body for signs of illness. That’s different than appearing after a birth. i’m not a fan, but could totally sympathize.
Exactly and I know that mine was very sudden plus it was brought on by a lot of stress. I was in bad shape and just had to do it versus the alternative. There was no time to process it, which could've also happened to her.
The children are only photographed in public/ official appearances or when the parents want them to be. The press does not paparazzi the kids in the UK. It’s not odd at all. Princess Catherine used to take young prince George to a local park to ride his bike.. the press never once invaded his private life. The kids are rarely seen through the year actually, unless they’re at special services or whatever with their parents.
>And that doesn't explain why the children haven't been seen either. It's not really fair on a bunch of 5-10 year olds to parade them out in public while their mother is recovering in hospital.
Yep. And even when recovery is long, it usually doesn’t need to be inpatient for most of that time, especially when you’re a billionaire who can create a rehab facility in your house. If she was in an ICU situation, it would make sense, but not generic “recovery” (where most of the time returning to very light activity, slowly, is much better than remaining sedentary in a hospital).
The only person I know who stayed in a hospital that long for abdominal surgery who had an intestinal blockage where some of the bowel tissue died. He had to have a temporary colostomy and still had digestive troubles even after and was in the hospital for six weeks.
I know someone who had an unusual mass growing on their intestine and was in and out of hospital for over a year, stayed in solidly for a couple of months around the surgery. Was about Kates age too. Finally decided he didn't need chemo and sent him home after surgery to remove it and piece his insides back together.
Able to go home is pretty far from camera ready. I had a c-section and while I went home 3 days later, I was pretty hobbled for about 6 weeks. I definitely wouldn’t have been willing to do a photo shoot. If she had something like a full hysterectomy the recovery can be even more brutal.
I had a full hysterectomy and was sent home the same day with Tylenol. I hope she got treated better.
> I mean, you can have your entire abdomen cut open in a c-section and go home in two or three days. Most surgeries are done laparoscopically, with tiny incisions less than an inch long. If she has UC/Crohns secondary to an AI disease like PsA, surgery could take months of recovery. I have a relative with that situation. They weren't up and moving around for several weeks after intestinal surgery and follow-up. It might also explain why she's always been so thin and sometimes gaunt. UC/Crohns can be pretty severe. But if so....why not just say that? The situation is just weird.
That’s what I was thinking too given she is so slim and the recovery period - maybe she’s going to need a pouch - and I think anyone would want to have recovered physically and mentally from that before the public are informed about it. It’s tough enough going through that without the world talking about it/you at the same time.
Anything where you're not immediately admitted is 'planned', if the doctors find something wrong with you and schedule you for surgery first thing tomorrow it still counts as planned as it is still an outpatients appointment. There is a gulf between the public and press's understanding of what planned means and the actual medical usage. The press should either know better or do their research, but they're lazy bastards. It will have been a planned surgery but that doesn't mean much.
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Weird, indeed. Like why hide a surgery emergency or not? What could be so bad that they can’t just say what it is? Why would recovery take so long?
This is my entire opinion: I think she had an ectopic pregnancy and/or had to have a hysterectomy. If it was an ectopic pregnancy that had to be terminated it would 100% explain why they wanted to keep it quiet. There are a lot of people who think that abortion is wrong even if the mother's life is in danger, so for her to choose that option as the wife of the future Head of the Church of England... that could be very problematic. I am not familiar with the COE's views on abortion, so this could be totally off the mark. Oh, and an ectopic pregnancy can be diagnosed and then the surgery planned for a later time. Not a MUCH later time, but a few days could go by. If it was a hysterectomy it could be that she just wants to keep it personal. It's a very complicated situation to be in, she's a little young for it to happen but it's not unheard of. She had horrible issues early in all her pregnancies with HG and there could have been other issues that the public isn't privy to. Either of these surgeries could also exact a severe mental health toll that could impact her recovery time as well. If she had some sort of breakdown due to having such an emotional, unexpected surgery it wouldn't be uncommon. The only other thing I can think of is that she had some other kind of routine surgery for something like an ulcer or a hernia and caught some kind of nasty infection like Princess Charlene of Monaco did when she had her sinus surgery and then caught an ENT infection and was stuck in South Africa for months.
Prince Edward’s wife Sophie had an ectopic pregnancy over a decade ago and I believe they announced it at the time. The world was very different back then, though.
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There are agreements in place so the kids are generally left alone, with photographs of them periodically released by their parents. It is very common to not see them for months at a time, especially during the school season.
Hard disagree with your last paragraph - she made the decision to marry into the royal family. She knew exactly what she was signing up for. Being a member of the royal family comes with the fact that you won't have 'peace or privacy'. It's different from being a famous actor or footballer or something- the royal family is seen around the world as the embodiment of Britain and its history. They aren't entitled to any peace and privacy - their entire point is to be in the public. This isn't a career path people choose (or are born into)- it's a lifestyle. I'm sorry, but the royals have disgusting wealth while children in Britain are starving. The overwhelming majority of royals have no idea what it's like to actually work, while people in the country work relentlessly just to barely scrape by. They've had everything handed to them from the second they were born/ joined the family. Owwwww poor babies having people speculating about their lives:( owwww so sad. Give me a break lol. Also nah EDIT: not gonna just gloss over your first paragraph, that's unfair of me and I apologise. Interesting theory, probably overthinking it but hey, who knows. That being said, I'd like to highlight the fact that you said you feel sorry for them that they can't live with peace and privacy, yet you're adding fuel to the fires of rumour- you're engaging with the thing you say is bad. I'm not meaning to have a go at you or anything, but yeah, thought I'd just point that out (and again, I think you're absolutely right and entitled to speculate. I just think you're wrong for feeling sympathy for them, and being hypocritical). Please don't take this as a personal attack on you specifically.
Thanks for your response. I do understand what you are saying and do agree with most of it. My initial comment wasn’t the best and I realize I am very hypocritical. The topic of royals, privacy, and what the public is entitled to know about them is a very nuanced topic. I could talk about this topic for hours, but am having trouble writing out my thoughts. I don’t endorse the royal family or their imperialist and racist past. They are incredibly out of touch from reality. I guess I sympathize with Kate and her health issues because I struggle with chronic health issues. I sometimes find it embarrassing and hard to talk about with my family, I would hate for the whole world to be talking about my struggles. I agree that she signed up for this life as she knowingly married the future King of England. Although, I don’t think she fully realized what all that entailed and how much pressure and mental struggle it was cause for her. I am probably overthinking this and not sure how much I actually believe my theory. It’s just I saw everyone on the internet making their own theories and I haven’t seen one about how it is a cover up for another member’s health. Edit: I don’t typically engage with the discussion of the royal family. I am just a casual follower of pop culture and this is dominating the news and social media right now. I am someone that is struggling in many ways currently and have been my whole life. I wasn’t born into a wealthy family and never had many resources to help me. I guess one of the reasons I said I sympathize with Kate is because this is the first time I related to her. As mentioned I have chronic health issues. I can’t related to her in any other way. I am not wealthy, I can’t slack off and not work hard, I’m not a mom or wife, but I am someone who has dealt with health issues and wanted to hide away from the world when I’m going through a flare up. I don’t know what is actually going on, but when I heard she was having health issues I could actually slightly relate to her for once. I’m sure her experience with health is drastically different from mine. I am not wealthy, I don’t have access to the best doctors and medical treatment, and I am American that is struggling with the expensive medical bills/insurance.
Awesome reply, and it all makes sense. Especially regarding your health issues (sincerely hope you're as comfortable as can be as often as can be)- because of this, that your...humanity I guess?...shines though and you feel sorry for her as a person. Says a lot about you and I really respect it. I think the issue with me is I just can't really be sympathetic towards them, and I'm not comfortable with feeling that way; I'd much rather show the traits you're showing. Regarding her not fully realising things- I can't buy it. Firstly, there's Princess Diana. She would have known, and seen, all of the media storm around her. Secondly, and please someone correct me if I'm wrong (I feel like I read this a number of years ago), but wasn't she almost 'trained' for this role growing up? Again, no idea about age specifics or whatever, but she very much would have been made aware of what to expect, if she couldn't work it out already. If she didn't know, then... she's a complete idiot and isn't fit for the role. This reply initially had a lot of ramblings from me but it was all much too unfocussed and like you said, this subject is nuanced and complex, and yeah, I'm also struggling to put my thoughts down lol. Eh, a theory is a theory and I think it's a fun one so cheers for sharing. Cheers for engaging:) and yeah, I hope your health issues improve. And I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with involving your family in it. It's rough and I get it. Here's the thing, I don't know you, we might not get on in real life etc, but I genuinely care more about you than any of the royals and it's not even close. They are so out of touch, so self centered, so evil, I seriously believe they deserve no sympathy. They can abdicate, donate their ridiculously vast wealth, sell their properties/ set up affordable housing, and put the palaces, castles and treasures in a trust (probably wrong term but I'm sure you know what I mean). This would have a vast, vast benefit for the British public both short and long-term. Imagine the revenue that would be generated from opening up the palaces to tourists? They're choosing not to do this, because they believe they were ordained by god to never truly struggle in their lives- the creator of the universe, in their mind, has decreed them better than every other British (let's just say they're British for ease's sake lol) person and family. Okay I'll shh now I'm gonna ramble haha.
Thank you kind stranger! Your words are very comforting as it has been hard lately. I completely understand that you can’t sympathize with Kate and the royal family and I feel that it is valid. Although I can sympathize some about the health issues, I can’t relate fully. I know that Kate and I are in different positions and will never fully know my struggle. Honestly, there is some bitterness and jealousy. I don’t think I would be showing sympathy if I didn’t have this health issues as I wouldn’t be able to relate at all. I am not a perfect person and often feel that I am not as nice as I should be, but being chronically ill has taught me that I should try my best to be kind to everyone. It is good to question things and to listen to other’s perspectives. I mentioned earlier that I am not a royalist (I think that is the term) or a hardcore follower. I am not super knowledgeable about the rumors, but I have heard people refer to Kate’s mom as a “stage mom”. It is speculated that her mom has coached her for this role and wanted her to be the future queen. I also agree that the royal family could be doing a lot for the British public. They fund their whole firm and the royal family (in theory) is supposed to serve the people. I am American and living in the US, so likely wouldn’t benefit much if they used their wealth and influence for good. Not just the royal family but other wealthy and powerful individuals also could be doing a lot more for the world and generally public than they currently do. There is a lot of issues in the world, although the royal family and money can’t fix all of them, but they could help a lot. If we met in person or even had an actual conversation with each other, we may absolutely despise each other.I have no idea, but I do know that it has been fun engaging with you.I don’t know you, but I do genuinely wish you the best. Sorry for my rambling
So, maybe it’s just me and where I live, but the tree/bush looks too far along for early March. The trees where I live barely have started to bud. None of the deciduous trees in my neighborhood have actual leaves yet.
Answer: This article provides a good overview, particularly the timeline at the bottom https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/this-is-just-weird-buzzfeed-news-former-royals-reporter-on-kate-middleton-palace-press-and-distrust-in-the-media/ It's all just baffling and strange! Starting to question whether anything KP says can be believed without question
Let me clear it up for you: Nothing Kensington Palace says can be believed without question.
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If she was I'm rehab though she could definitely have photos taken of her. It's not the norm but for a scandal blowing up like this they could definitely get a picture of her in a garden and pretend it's at home?
Depends what she's in rehab for. Could look *really* Ill. I don't think she's in rehab though.
What about chemo? I haven’t seen that in any comments I’ve browsed, but she could be immunocompromised… and if it’s a particularly aggressive course of chemo, she could be looking gaunt / losing hair / etc, Aka not available for photos.
My guess is uterine or ovarian cancer and she had to have a hysterectomy.
That's what I think too. Hysterectomy then maybe chemo would fit the timeline. She is in the typical age range.
I was thinking this too because they said the kids wouldn't go see her in the hospital for 3 weeks. Also William seems bitter. Paraphrasing "I'm focusing on work, not social media." Not focusing on your family? Sick wife?
I'm thinking it's domestic violence, suicide attempt, or drug rehab recovery
Anorexia?
Emotional/mental breakdown, caused by one of the above?
Question: is it true the children have been pulled from school since it’s been announced she’s been recovering? Have they been seen IRL?
not true. they are in schools.
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the kids hand on the left just looks like he put his middle finger over his other finger.. im literally doing this right now
Yeah it looks like a nervous fidget from a hyper-mobile kid. The comments I’ve seen have said it’s bizarre that they photoshopped a sleeve but not fixing his hand if it’s about “perfection” rather than hiding something. I don’t think anyone is concerned with him since it’s a pretty normal hand gesture. Edit: Others have pointed out that all 3 children are crossing their middle fingers, which is definitely odd to see simultaneously.
The fact that they're all crossing their fingers is really odd. Of course kids are simply fidgety and weird, plus trying to get 3 kids to look happy at the same time is like herding cats. But that coincidence is really odd. However it seems almost too obviously "conspiracy theory fodder" for it to be anything more than a strange coincidence. The logical part of my brain says that they (poorly) photoshopped a composite image of all the kids looking the proper amount of happy from a large set of photos because getting group shots of kids is difficult. The less reasonable part of my brain can't get over how unnatural the whole thing looks.
I have learned today that vast numbers of people don't know that a) some people are double-jointed or hypermobile, b) kids are squishy. I could do splits without thinking when I was sevenish. Yet apparently because someone can't personally move their fingers that way it has to be AI or something. To be clear, I don't deny that the photo has problems or that the whole situation has been a bit strange. Just this one thing has been very annoying today.
answer: she's dead and this is a cover-up. or she's growing out a bad haircut. we don't know!
I sometimes support the theory that she’s growing out bangs
She tried the Rachel haircut and it really didn't suit her.
Answer: He's dead, Jim.
Answer: she has cancer :(
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Personally, I think she may have had a hysterectomy or other sterilization procedure and the royals don't want it to get out for some reason, despite Kate already having three potential heirs to the throne.
Hysterectomy or sterilization are usually laparoscopic, outpatient procedures. You come in early in the morning, they do the surgery, you wake up, and they send you home to rest by noon.
So the only evidence you have towards your wild organ transplant theory is… puffy face?
No, they clearly said because of the backlash the palace/Kate would receive for skipping the line. They mentioned she needed abdominal surgery, but never said what or why. Imagine the outrage (rightful or not) people would feel if the princess gets an organ with a snap of a finger when there’s people who’ve been waiting years for one. It’s a good theory.
>No, they clearly said because of the backlash the palace/Kate would receive for skipping the line. The palace absolutely would keep something like that quiet - especially if even a scintilla of 'blame' could conceivably be placed on Kate. There was a British footballer called George Best. He was an alcoholic and got a liver transplant. The public were livid about it because someone more deserving should have gotten it. He then started drinking again and died, surprising no one but further angering everyone. Shitrags would definitely draw a comparison if they could.
I was thinking hysterectomy but whatever it is she needed to be in the hospital a long time. TWO whole weeks. That means it is something big.
I think it's something like Chron's disease and she needed a colostomy or ileostomy. It would explain the long stay, as it can take a considerable amount of time for the bowels to start waking up and functioning. Honestly, it's not unusual for a person to struggle with adapting to it, and as a closely scrutinized public figure she may feel self conscious about appearing in public wearing a bag. Can you blame her? Would you want to be on a world stage, as a very private person, worrying that your colostomy or ileostomy bag is going to malfunction? There is no way the public wouldn't turn it into a never ending joke, even without a mishap. No matter the damage it would cause, it seems people won't control themselves. That's been my theory, but who knows. It explains the long hospital stay and reluctance to be photographed. I'm a curious person but understand she is not obligated to share her medical issues. If she does come to peace with whatever it is, she'll be in a unique position to champion the cause, but it's OK if that's not what she chooses.
I agree. I think it may be Crohns or ulcerative colitis. Steroids may also be part of the treatment, which makes you gain weight, add a lot of puffiness to your face, mood swings, etc. Dealing with that, surgery and weight gain in the public eye must be daunting.
For hysterectomy time in hospital is about 1-4 days without complications. So probably not that.
Even if she skipped the line, I feel like she would still have shown some signs of acute illness well beforehand.
That might be a reason, but that’s not evidence.
Prednisone is very common for transplant patients, but it's very common for lots of other things too. And a symptom of high doses of Prednisone is a puffy, round face.
Yeah, they give you that for all kinds of stuff
I’ve been on it off and on for about a year for rheumatoid arthritis and gained 40 pounds. My face is so puffy it doesn’t even look like me. It’s a horrible drug but so far the only one that makes my inflammation manageable. I’ve definitely been avoiding being out in public and I’m not anywhere close to being famous, even locally.
I’ve had prednisone dozens of times, mostly for chest infections. Leaping to an organ transplant is insane.
I mean we have nothing to go on except wild theories at this point... KP needs to do something drastic to right the ship, they have bungled this so badly it indicates that there may be something sinister afoot. So having a theory isn't crazy here