The rumour mill went into overdrive after news agencies withdrew a photo of Kate Middleton, saying it had been manipulated.
Conspiracy theorists were already giddy with the possibility of the Princess of Wales killed and replaced with a body double, Kate recovering from plastic surgery in preparation for becoming Queen, and Kate unmasked as ‘The Unknown’ at the Willy Wonka Experience (that last one at least has been debunked as the real actor has come forward).
The ‘doctored’ photo left many feeling vindicated – but this morning Kate said there was an innocent explanation, tweeting that she liked to occasionally experiment with editing ‘like many amateur photographers’ and apologising for the ‘confusion’.
Earlier, the UK’s widely-used PA news agency became the latest to withdraw the image from circulation.
A spokesperson said that they had ‘issued the image provided by Kensington Palace of the Princess of Wales and her children in good faith yesterday’.
But they continued: ‘We became aware of concerns about the image and we carried a report about it last night, and made clear that we were seeking urgent clarification about the image from Kensington Palace. In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.’
The photograph, released yesterday on the Kensington Royal X account to celebrate Mother’s Day, was the first word from the Princess of Wales since her abdominal surgery two months ago.
‘Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,’ the post, signed ‘C’, said.
But the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse all issued ‘kill notices’ last night warning against using the image, fearing it had been ‘manipulated’.
It came after armchair sleuths pinpointed aspects they felt looked wrong, with some even claiming it looks like an AI had created the family picture.
A more humdrum explanation could be that the children did not all look in the same direction at the same time, so a few different shots were merged together.
But royal watchers say this will likely deepen the mystery around the prolonged absence of Catherine, 42, from the public eye.
Here are some of the parts of the photo that look a bit off, and sparked claims of manipulation.
Princess Charlotte’s left hand
Many seized on the apparent misalignment as evidence there was something wrong with the photo. Charlotte’s hand appears to be slightly apart from her wrist.
The white steps in the background
In the background behind Prince Louis’s legs, the second white step has a clear break and jagged gap where there should be a straight line.
Kate’s left hand is missing her wedding ring
One of the first unusual aspects of the photo royal watchers spotted was that Kate is not wearing her wedding ring in the photo.
While some said this could just be from medication making her fingers puffy, others saw it as evidence of something stranger.
Kensington Palace has previously said that the Princess of Wales is recovering well but would not be back to public duties until after Easter.
Royal commentator Peter Hunt said of the latest media storm: ‘This is damaging for the royals.
‘They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate.
‘Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.’
Kensington Palace says the image was taken by Prince William last week in Windsor showing the Princess and Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine and Prince Louis, five.
For Daniela Relph, a royal correspondent for the BBC, the palace’s bid to hush speculation about Kate’s wellbeing with the doctored photo has backfired.
The ‘overzealous editing of the picture to get it ready for publication has actually cast doubt on its authenticity’, she said.
‘The implication here is not that the entire photo is a fake or that the Princess of Wales is more unwell than she appears in the image,’ she said.
‘That seems unlikely and would be a very high-risk strategy from the Kensington Palace team.’
In its ‘kill notification’, the AP said: ‘At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image. No replacement image will be sent.’
The agency added: ‘Please remove it from all platforms, including social, where it may still be visible.’
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While Reuters said: ‘This has been withdrawn following a post-publication review. Please make no further use.’
Sources said the agencies believe the image, said by had been edited from the original.
Earlier this week the Prince of Wales addressed the numerous conspiracy theories surrounding his wife’s health and whereabouts.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
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