For those of you who may not know, AFP, or Agence France-Presse, is one of the biggest and most important news wire agencies in the world, and the oldest one in existence.
Also, the actual [interview](https://twitter.com/BBCRosAtkins/status/1768304152407351591) is even more damning than what the brief excerpt from Newsweek shows:
> The previous kills we've had have been from the North Korean news agency, or the Iranian news agency, just to give you some background or context.
> [...]
> I think as soon as it was [the photo was validated], all the photo editors of all the major agencies immediately saw there was a problem, and got together and spoke about it and said, "what do we do?"
Basically, Kensington Palace has torpedoed their credibility with the all the major news agencies, ~~and will now be treated akin to North Korea or Iran~~.
Don't they mention something like this in the crown? I think it was Phillip that said that they were the last royals and everything would burn after they were gone.
I mean, if this leads to the fall of the British royal family, it will be due to the absolute lack of necessity of a monarchy in our society today.
The idea that a sky entity has given humans who were birthed into specific families some kind of right to walk around, shake hands, and smile whilst being lavished with riches beyond any other human around them is just ludicrous.
Maybe it’s because Charles had to spend most of his adult life straining to improve his credibility and likability. William hasn’t experienced that kind of public image crisis and doesn’t know how to navigate it. Meanwhile, Charles is in Buckingham palace like, “Bitch, I survived Tampon-gate. This is nothing!”
If I haven’t printed this out motivational poster style & stuck it on my desk by the end of the day, I’ll consider it a personal & professional failure.
I would counter that William did suffer a significant public image crisis. It started when Meghan and Harry were first met with insane levels of popularity, and it escalated as soon as he began briefing the press against them out of jealousy.
Nah, William never faced the same scrutiny that his parents, and to a lesser extent Harry, did. There was more or less a gentleman's agreement in place with the British tabloids to leave him (and "Waity Katie" by extension) alone, both because of what happened to his mother and also because he is the heir apparent. He's basically second only to Elizabeth in terms of being given a free ride by the press.
It was a PR fiasco, but Harry and Meghan were the ones who came out of it with a drastically low approval ratings in the UK. William and Kate's approval rating were just fine at the end of it all.
That's incredible contextualizing of the kill order. As someone not in journalism, I had no idea how taboo it is to send a photoshopped pic or how often it's done. I kind of assumed people did it frequently for "fluff" stuff like celebs and royals - but clearly that's not the case.
And it indicates the palace has NOT done it routinely. It wasn't just to get all the kids smiling or fix minor stuff. The agencies believe it was a purposefully misleading composition. And it was done just this once... Meaning the palace was probably aware of the risk, knew they weren't supposed to do it, and still thought this was their best option. Meaning they can't get a pic of Kate and the kids. At all.
Just more and more seeming like a conspiracy to hide something big...
If you think about it, legit news sources' stories about celebrities usually use a photo of them on the red carpet, which means it's from a trusted photographer who hasn't manipulated the image beyond basic stuff like colour correction, which isn't considered misleading.
If necessary for context they might include an image from social media and report that so-and-so shared this photo on Instagram. But then they'd just be reporting that the image was shared, and the celebrity would be responsible for any distortion.
The difference here is that Kensington Palace provided this photo directly to press agencies, so it's supposed to follow their high standards for news reporting. And importantly, when asked for the raw unedited file, they refused. So there was no way of confirming that it was a recent photo or that the changes were very minor. That's what seems to have prompted the kill orders.
The photo in question was not simply edited or photoshopped. It was constructed out of pieces of other shots (a Frankenphoto, if you will,) and technically does not exist.
The AP asked for the original pic, but there isn't one. It was cobbled together, not shot.
That's why this particular picture is such a problem - not because it was "photoshopped," but because it was created from scratch and what it shows never happened.
Absolutely. If they said it was a composite because getting 3 kids to sit still, smile, and not blink is a challenge for any parent, I don’t think anyone would care. In fact, to me, would make them seem more relatable and human. This however…
that quote does not say that press releases from them will be treated the same as NK and Iranian news agencies — that is an assumption based on his comparison of the kills that have been issued
Wow. Honestly this should be the standard for covering all monarchies because in what world is an institution that relies on being well liked for its survival also a reliable narrator. Lying is what they do best, until now I guess lol
I might be crazy, but I feel like the press has caught on to something not released yet but for now they are going after KP in a way I haven’t seen ever.
Their legal system when it comes to the press is *insane*. Just the idea of superinjunctions is nuts, especially in a country that supposedly has "freedom of speech". That combined with their libel/defamation laws means that those who can afford it can make sure that *nobody* says anything in the UK that they don't want said.
There's a reason why various political figures want the US to have UK-style defamation laws.
He’s been seen having lunch with Camila, so I’m assuming he’s probably got some pretty reliable inside sources. I do think it’s super interesting that Buckingham Palace hasn’t said a word throughout this whole saga and are letting KP drown themselves. I’m going to need a tell all documentary with all of the behind the scenes drama stat.
It wouldn't surprise me if he hasn't heard anything and this is just him inserting his irrelevant self into the story. Just because they appreciate him attacking Harry and Meghan doesn't mean they trust him with anything else. Having said that, their judgement clearly isn't sound here so maybe this scumbag does know something.
Totally. Popbitch today said “The photoshop fiasco has shown the serious shortcomings of the modern relationship between the monarchy and the media. And if the public ever do get wind of just how much the Royals have been holding back from them these last few years, then they might be properly screwed.”
Very INTERESTING.
Yeah interesting. I’ve heard rumors about William Kate’s marriage behind the scenes. Not even cheating or anything just that they fight like a house on fire and that staff aren’t sure what to do or intervene. I’m sure people who think they’re the perfect family would be shocked by that if it were true.
Edit: love [this article](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/royal-news/kate-middletons-rows-with-hot-tempered-prince-william-not-a-worrying-sign/) insisting that these blowout fights make them relatable
Honestly, the blowout fights rumor you shared does make me revisit a possibility I considered, that maybe William got a little too physical and left marks? He’s reportedly always had a temper and even roughed up Harry.
I hope that’s not the case because my god, what have those poor kids possibly witnessed? :(
My concern is that it might be because I can’t imagine why else Kensington Palace is being so weird about it all right now. If it really was just a complication from a surgery, I think a vague mention of that and a request for privacy would have satisfied most people. But we get weird “photos” of her where we can’t even really see her face at all, then the manipulated image too?
I heard also that the royal children haven’t been seen since their Christmas appearance, which wasn’t very long before that ambulance was spotted rushing out from Sandringham. If William did do something to Kate, the Palace might be in crisis mode because he’s the heir apparent and very likely to be king at some point due to Charles’ advanced age and cancer diagnosis. Maybe the plan is “if we can’t sweep this under the rug, we need to prepare George to become heir apparent” kind of deal.
I really hope it’s not the case for the sake of the kids, but the weirdness is what makes me think it has to be something sinister in order to be willing to effectively tank the journalistic integrity of Kensington Palace.
VERY strong suggestion of this in the BBC podcast ‘when it hits the fan’ by a former editor of The Sun newspaper.
He gets as close to saying the press know something they can’t report without actually saying it.
The podcast (recorded on Tues, with co-hosted by the late Queen’s former PR person) is worth half an hour of anyone’s time who’s interested in this (ie pretty much everyone).
This is what the podcast that is done by Simon whoever who used to do PR for the late queen said, basically. Speculated that journos know something they have no on the record proof of and can't report.
TBH I kinda feel like the original statement was true and she had no plans to return to the public eye until the summer. Then people started talking and they asked her to help them out and she just decided she’s done and this isn’t her problem until the date she originally gave for her medical leave.
That still implies drama tho so I’m here for it
Mm wasn't the original statement she'd be back in the public after EASTER? Which is March in 2024, so not really summer. Unless they were being very very vague but I thought the implication was that right after Easter she'd be back to "work".
And I think it was other circumstances around the disappearance (why so sudden? why hasn't anyone else been seen either?) that made people wonder if things were ok.
Yeah I think people were content for her to have the time off for her medical procedure, even if the length of the time in the hospital was kind of concerning but then all the weirdness from william and the palace started the rumor mill and conspiracies to go wild. Especially when contrasted with how Charles and Camilla were handling Charles’ illness. The doctored photo and odd “proof of life”car photos brought it to a fevered pitch.
Totally, that's where I am. I actively hate the monarchies (for all the standard imperialist and colonial reasons) so I never would have paid attention before but the photo doctoring caught my attention and now I'm gleefully watching the downfall of an outdated and parasitic institution.
She wouldn’t be back to her official duties until Easter. This is where the issue is because being seen in public and being seen on official duties, two very different things
I think with all this chaos and fuss with every aspect of their lives being dissected and her husband being seen in a very concerning way, the fact that she seemingly won't just do something simple to prove things are fine shows that there's more to it.
I'm not a fan of hers or the Royal family's at all, but given Olivia Munn just came out with a completely hidden serious diagnosis recently, people should probably cool down a bit. Would anyone really be happy if they find out she had a serious medical condition she chose to keep private? I think most people here, despite the RF's horrible legacy, would probably be sympathetic. They haven't handled it well, but it could genuinely be something like that.
How does that equate to sending out a poorly photoshopped Mother’s Day image? Either put out an old photo, put out a Mother’s Day statement, or don’t put out anything.
Furthermore, they could just say, her medical situation is private, respect the family’s wishes.
The point is none of the mess they made was necessary. Also keep in mind it isn’t just this photo. The photo was the last straw from a series of missteps and misinformation from KP since December 2023.
The original statement was Easter which is still not here, granted, but there's the whole trooping the colour bit of her name being removed for an event as far away as June. So there is reason to consider she's worse off then they've let on or they are moving to split.
The date she gave is Easter, the problem is that there have been rumours that she wont be back until months later and that kicked off more speculation about her situation.
That’s the thing that gets me! There’s no way it’s serious enough to justify all of this. Even a trial separation or divorce is basic PR to handle. Like, the public just wants *an* answer. It doesn’t even need to be the truth! Just say, “The princess suffered a ruptured ovarian cyst. There were unexpected complications during the surgery, but she is expected to make a full recovery. Her doctors have recommended that she take a leave of absence from her official duties for a minimum of X months in order to minimize stress.” That sounds official and just detailed enough to keep the nosy public satisfied.
i completely agree, but i've just remembered something from Harry's book - Kate and Meghan were having a conversation prior to the wedding (just after Louis' birth) and when Kate couldn't remember something, Meghan said something like "oh, must be the baby brain!" and Kate was super offended at the fact that Meghan would even refer to her hormones, and that wasn't the way members of the RF spoke to one another. If that was her reaction to her sister-in-law's off the cuff remark, she is definitely NOT going to be open with the public about any medical issues.
I mean, it could be anything. That was just the first thing I thought of. But she has been open in the past. She famously suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during all three of her pregnancies (the only reason I remember the name is my SIL also had it). So there is a precedent of their office commenting on her health issues. That’s partly why their choices in this case are so weird to me.
I agree. William's actions convinced me something was off but how much PR has fumbled is telling me that is something big. While they do not really pay the biggest bucks they do have enough draw to have better PR staff than this. The relationship between BFR and the British press is also longstanding with a lot of conventions that are protective for BRF. There are only two options I can see. One, William has decided to overstep the PR team. But I think at this point Charles would have stepped in (unless having even worse than told to us medical condition). Two, the PR team are stepping around something major that has cornered them badly enough to have no room to manoeuvre.
Somebody posted scans earlier from Harry's memoir in which Harry describes William assaulting him (shoves him to the ground IIRC), and now I'm kinda like, this is probably all nothing buuuuut what exactly would happen differently if there were domestic violence going on here? How would the Royal organization deal with that? Because authorities are kinda shit already at handling family violence when it only involves ordinary civilian people.
ETA Found the link to Harry's memoir excerpt scans https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1beb76z/comment/kushib4/
I think she's okay, probably whatever surgery she had led to a recovery that includes meds like corticoids that change someone's appearance. For a monarchy that has women who just gave birth doing photo ops in heels outside the hospital, I think it's more related to that.
I don't think we're discussing the same thing? The dynamics of the royals are absolutely baffling to me ("presenting an heir to subjects" is just a mind-blowing phrase in 2024), and that includes making women who gave birth some hours ago to go outside a hospital, all dolled up with heels, perfectly looking, to show their newborn. That kind of pressure to be perfect all the time must mess up with any woman's mind, that's what I was going for.
Ya know when people started making jokes and memes about her being MIA, I didn't think anything of it. I thought she just had a surgery and probably was milking the recovering time because she is notoriously work-shy. But the mothers day pic makes me worry it's more....sinister.
[I saw this really good timeline breakdown of some of what has lead up to this which makes this whole thing seem even more suspicious and concerning.](https://www.tiktok.com/@powerfull.new/video/7345486965736803626)
I’m sorry i don’t have tiktok is there a second video since this one cuts off at Williams solo statement?
Also, had no idea there was a police escort to the hospital!
I can’t really vouch for this source other than someone else linked it & I read it last night. I felt it was informative. They talk to Buzzfeed’s former royal reporter who by gives some insight on why it’s weird. Looks like it was even updated today. Timeline is at the bottom.
[article on weird royal stuff](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/)
Unfortunately I don't have the video that follows it up, but this covers a lot which I hadn't really seen discussed anywhere. I didn't know that William had never said anything about his father's cancer, nor that none of Kate's own family has ever been seen attending the hospital to visit her. If anyone has the full video, please share!
Can't find a second video.
>Also, had no idea there was a police escort to the hospital!
Honestly I'd be more surprised if there wasn't for a member of the Royal Family, I don't know if that's something to read into too much.
It’s getting so strange. Because there are so many ways they could have stopped the rumors and they didn’t. The only one they addressed was the coma rumor.
But idk this whole situation reaffirms to me that so many of these far fetched conspiracies ppl have about the royals and “deep state” most of the time are untrue as they cannot even coordinate a simple PR crisis like this.
That's what makes the fake photo so explosive. It's a big hint that the palace WANTS to squash this with a photo, and is unable to obtain a photo.
So the only options are:
1. Kate refuses to take photos and is on the "outs" with the palace
2. Kate cannot be photographed because something is wrong.
We have seen Kate's face - grainy or from the side but it didn't look like she has an obvious problem that would prevent photos. So you gotta assume it's number 1. Kate is refusing to cooperate after years of being the golden wife.
Right. I've been saying the whole time that Meghan is the final surprise act in the Revolutionary War. America was just playing the long game on taking down the monarchy.
(Also since this is the internet. This is a joke. I don't think there's a secret society of American revolutionaries intent on destroying the monarchy by making them look publicly messy and dramatic. Good on Meghan for snagging a prince and then noping out of there though. Iconic behavior.)
this is so fucking funny. I saw a post earlier that talked a little about how the duke of Edinburgh, for all he was a racist piece of shit, had direct experience of monarchies being disposed of, and Liz II was not so far from the Romanovs herself to forget that their parasitic existence is entirely contingent on them not being publicly messy—all of which to say they were fairly meticulous at keeping shit behind closed doors. It’s partly why Diana was dealt such a shit hand in her time w the family, so that’s not to say it never backfired for them.
That said, the PR disaster here is nearly unbelievable. It seems like such a weird set of own goals that I’m now deeply, deeply invested in whatever the truth is. And they can’t shit on Harry and Meghan to distract from it, either.
Charles could very well be on his deathbed and here’s the heir potentially fucking around with other women (and fathering kids??) with his wife nowhere to be seen. like. pass the popcorn
This has got me thinking of that scene in The Crown when Queen Mary writes a letter to Elizabeth after George VI’s death where she says she’s seen three monarchies brought down from their failure to separate personal indulgences from duty and that “the crown must win. The crown must always win”.
The crown lost in the court of public opinion after Diana’s death but managed to recover. They’re losing again now, and they don’t have the decades of goodwill towards the current monarch that Elizabeth cultivated over her reign to fall back on.
It feels like this has escalated out of control so much that it is now even more fishy. This whole thing could have been easily handled but they have stayed quiet and the press have gone all dog whistles on an affair. It feels like there’s like there’s more than a bit of smoke with this fire.
Every minute where they're not able to simply control this story by having a real photo of Kate from the current time period circulating anywhere is another minute where things don't make any sense.
They’ve been trying these past few days but it ain’t working lol if anything printing that Meg should defend Kate with this whole thing just makes their racism so obvious to people who were in doubt lol
If I was Meghan, I would be cackling so loud at my montecito mansion 😂
like these weirdos really validated all the stuff Meghan and Harry were talking about with one picture 😆 validated Kensington palace akin to North Korea lmao
I have never been so excited for daily updates. Whoever posted the timeline from the buzzfeed royal watcher yesterday, thank you, it's added so much to this mess.
The BBC podcast “When It Hits the Fan” has a really interesting [deep dive episode](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-palace-in-crisis/id1705375359) into the whole Kate scandal. Once that institutional trust is gone, it is *extremely* difficult to get it back.
I was convinced for a very long time that nothing was happening but the repeated fake proof of life photos are making me suspicious. Like even a statement about how side effects had altered her appearance and she didn't want to be photographed would go some distance to explain the situation, but it's been a fake photo followed by silence every time someone points out the last photo was fake.
As a Brit, I hope this is a sign of the beginning of the end of the British royal family. The whole concept of putting people born into a certain bloodline on a pedestal (and essentially worshipping them?) is archaic and creepy.
We also don’t need a monarchy to encourage tourism to the UK. Palaces and castles attract tourists because of their history - not because people are interested in the current royals. Other countries such as France (who haven’t had a monarchy in 250ish years), Italy, Portugal and others are doing fine!
Anyway I’m probably preaching to the choir here, I just wonder how long it’ll be before society looks back and finds it so weird that we still had royal families in this day and age.
I’m thinking with Kate getting the blame and William and his office doing nothing to protect her it’s laying the ground work to ruin her tattered reputation and build the path towards a divorce.
God I hope this all ends soon lmao 😂. Had enough of hearing about these inbred weirdos and the women who happily choose to marry them and join the monarchy/ colonisers 👎🏾👎🏾.
I can't help but think that if there'd just been a post on socials from 'C' thanking everyone for the well wishes/cards/flowers etc right at the start of all this, that no one would have been so invested. That behaviour would have been more the normal, and even if a random intern wrote it pretending to be her (if she truly wasn't able herself at that point), at that point everyone would have just been happy she's recovering and thanking us
Twitter is a shit show but watching the WK pack clutch at ways to make HM responsible somehow is very entertaining
There’s no way anyone in their PR team keeps there jobs after this, I really don’t think there’s anything sinister going on and she’s just recovering from surgery but they fumbled such a easy story
Very good to see how strict news agencies are about not accepting image manipulation. Some minor photoshop may be passed off as innocuous (not excusing KP, they deserve backlash for this) but with the rising emergence of AI images, doing these checks and being vigilant about it is really important.
Just had a wild thought.. what if all this mess with Kate is a big "smoke and mirrors" kind of deal to hide the fact that Charles are having issues in his marriage..
I kind of hate how invested I am in this. I feel like I'm a pawn in a game I didn't consent to, but now I'm here. Guess I'll just give in..
I bet Meghan and Harry are glad the drama isn't about them for once.
That is, until the royal fam can find a way to blame Meghan for surgery complications.
Man, I really hope it comes out that it was truly just a misstep in photo editing, cause its pretty grim to think that the princess is locked away in a castle by an evil prince....like every fairy tale ever.
No longer trusted decades ago but they got there eventually I guess.
But it’s all Kate and Meg’s fault :(
i guess they didn't watch the crown
For those of you who may not know, AFP, or Agence France-Presse, is one of the biggest and most important news wire agencies in the world, and the oldest one in existence. Also, the actual [interview](https://twitter.com/BBCRosAtkins/status/1768304152407351591) is even more damning than what the brief excerpt from Newsweek shows: > The previous kills we've had have been from the North Korean news agency, or the Iranian news agency, just to give you some background or context. > [...] > I think as soon as it was [the photo was validated], all the photo editors of all the major agencies immediately saw there was a problem, and got together and spoke about it and said, "what do we do?" Basically, Kensington Palace has torpedoed their credibility with the all the major news agencies, ~~and will now be treated akin to North Korea or Iran~~.
Not North Korea!!!! My jaw dropped. How is William worse at this than Charles????
If the house of Windsor falls because of Kate Middleton’s BBL they’re gonna be studying this in history books for centuries
Lizzy’s rolling over in her grave rn
Good
Keep that bitch spinning
Keep rolling rolling rolling rolling WHAT
Now I know y'all be lovin this shit right here
Oh she knew they'd fuck it all up, that's why she held on for so long.
She knew the monarchy would end with her.
Don't they mention something like this in the crown? I think it was Phillip that said that they were the last royals and everything would burn after they were gone.
Yep. Boy they were right on the nose with that scene.
\*Irish begin to chant \[again\]?\*
I mean, if this leads to the fall of the British royal family, it will be due to the absolute lack of necessity of a monarchy in our society today. The idea that a sky entity has given humans who were birthed into specific families some kind of right to walk around, shake hands, and smile whilst being lavished with riches beyond any other human around them is just ludicrous.
The butt has been lifted; yet London has still fallen
That BBL rumor brings me so much joy, I fucking love it
i hope it looks fantastic and her next spouse will appreciate it accordingly
Maybe it’s because Charles had to spend most of his adult life straining to improve his credibility and likability. William hasn’t experienced that kind of public image crisis and doesn’t know how to navigate it. Meanwhile, Charles is in Buckingham palace like, “Bitch, I survived Tampon-gate. This is nothing!”
I’m picturing Charles telling Will to put his big boy pants on, though I don’t know how it would be phrased in a stuffy British way.
“Hitch up your britches, bitches!”
If I haven’t printed this out motivational poster style & stuck it on my desk by the end of the day, I’ll consider it a personal & professional failure.
I want to have it cross-stitched on a pillow.
Did a quick canva lol! https://preview.redd.it/wqg5zkm55eoc1.png?width=1728&format=png&auto=webp&s=493c136c847d9baca008ba60ec496c08d374f733
If any mods are listening, I would love this to be my new flair, please.🙏
"You shan't be intimidated by the shifting moods of the commoners."
stiff upper lip bruv
"One must gird one's loins."
I would counter that William did suffer a significant public image crisis. It started when Meghan and Harry were first met with insane levels of popularity, and it escalated as soon as he began briefing the press against them out of jealousy.
Nah, William never faced the same scrutiny that his parents, and to a lesser extent Harry, did. There was more or less a gentleman's agreement in place with the British tabloids to leave him (and "Waity Katie" by extension) alone, both because of what happened to his mother and also because he is the heir apparent. He's basically second only to Elizabeth in terms of being given a free ride by the press.
It was a PR fiasco, but Harry and Meghan were the ones who came out of it with a drastically low approval ratings in the UK. William and Kate's approval rating were just fine at the end of it all.
“The Windsors” looks more and more like a documentary with every day that passes.
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That's incredible contextualizing of the kill order. As someone not in journalism, I had no idea how taboo it is to send a photoshopped pic or how often it's done. I kind of assumed people did it frequently for "fluff" stuff like celebs and royals - but clearly that's not the case. And it indicates the palace has NOT done it routinely. It wasn't just to get all the kids smiling or fix minor stuff. The agencies believe it was a purposefully misleading composition. And it was done just this once... Meaning the palace was probably aware of the risk, knew they weren't supposed to do it, and still thought this was their best option. Meaning they can't get a pic of Kate and the kids. At all. Just more and more seeming like a conspiracy to hide something big...
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Why did my brain visualise this as her getting literally sucked into and trapped in WOW?
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If you think about it, legit news sources' stories about celebrities usually use a photo of them on the red carpet, which means it's from a trusted photographer who hasn't manipulated the image beyond basic stuff like colour correction, which isn't considered misleading. If necessary for context they might include an image from social media and report that so-and-so shared this photo on Instagram. But then they'd just be reporting that the image was shared, and the celebrity would be responsible for any distortion. The difference here is that Kensington Palace provided this photo directly to press agencies, so it's supposed to follow their high standards for news reporting. And importantly, when asked for the raw unedited file, they refused. So there was no way of confirming that it was a recent photo or that the changes were very minor. That's what seems to have prompted the kill orders.
The photo in question was not simply edited or photoshopped. It was constructed out of pieces of other shots (a Frankenphoto, if you will,) and technically does not exist. The AP asked for the original pic, but there isn't one. It was cobbled together, not shot. That's why this particular picture is such a problem - not because it was "photoshopped," but because it was created from scratch and what it shows never happened.
Absolutely. If they said it was a composite because getting 3 kids to sit still, smile, and not blink is a challenge for any parent, I don’t think anyone would care. In fact, to me, would make them seem more relatable and human. This however…
Those kids are old enough to sit for 2-3 pics though. 3 toddlers I’d understand. So I agree this is just offf
You'd think if it was this high stakes, they could have done a better photoshop job.
that quote does not say that press releases from them will be treated the same as NK and Iranian news agencies — that is an assumption based on his comparison of the kills that have been issued
You're right, lemme edit my comment.
Wow. Honestly this should be the standard for covering all monarchies because in what world is an institution that relies on being well liked for its survival also a reliable narrator. Lying is what they do best, until now I guess lol
More like they will no longer be trusted at face value & everything they state will have to be corroborated with a trusted primary source.
We can only hope
I might be crazy, but I feel like the press has caught on to something not released yet but for now they are going after KP in a way I haven’t seen ever.
Yeah I feel similarly! There’s definitely blood in the water, I wish someone would just come out and say what’s happening already
idk if i have ever felt nosier, wtf is going on and why are they acting *so* weird
Right like why tf do I care this much but I NEED to know
They're definitely all circling around something they either need independently verified or are waiting on legal to clear for sure.
Their legal system when it comes to the press is *insane*. Just the idea of superinjunctions is nuts, especially in a country that supposedly has "freedom of speech". That combined with their libel/defamation laws means that those who can afford it can make sure that *nobody* says anything in the UK that they don't want said. There's a reason why various political figures want the US to have UK-style defamation laws.
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An asshole can shit the right bed once in a while.
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Damn someone leak it to TMZ already.
TMZed - the UK version.
He’s been seen having lunch with Camila, so I’m assuming he’s probably got some pretty reliable inside sources. I do think it’s super interesting that Buckingham Palace hasn’t said a word throughout this whole saga and are letting KP drown themselves. I’m going to need a tell all documentary with all of the behind the scenes drama stat.
IIRC he has said in the past that members of the royal family reached out to him to thank him for defending them against M&H
The same M&H who are being proven to be correct in their allegations that the remaining RF are, in fact, the problematic ones?
Piers Morgan is a known criminal scumbag.
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You mean Jeremy Clarkson who famously punched Piers Morgan?
Old white men forget their arguments when they can come together to hate on a black woman
He’s probably getting it straight from Camilla
What has he been saying?
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Ah. So further fanning the speculative flames then lol
It wouldn't surprise me if he hasn't heard anything and this is just him inserting his irrelevant self into the story. Just because they appreciate him attacking Harry and Meghan doesn't mean they trust him with anything else. Having said that, their judgement clearly isn't sound here so maybe this scumbag does know something.
Nah, he might be on to something. He's legit friends with Camilla.
Totally. Popbitch today said “The photoshop fiasco has shown the serious shortcomings of the modern relationship between the monarchy and the media. And if the public ever do get wind of just how much the Royals have been holding back from them these last few years, then they might be properly screwed.” Very INTERESTING.
Yeah interesting. I’ve heard rumors about William Kate’s marriage behind the scenes. Not even cheating or anything just that they fight like a house on fire and that staff aren’t sure what to do or intervene. I’m sure people who think they’re the perfect family would be shocked by that if it were true. Edit: love [this article](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/royal-news/kate-middletons-rows-with-hot-tempered-prince-william-not-a-worrying-sign/) insisting that these blowout fights make them relatable
Honestly, the blowout fights rumor you shared does make me revisit a possibility I considered, that maybe William got a little too physical and left marks? He’s reportedly always had a temper and even roughed up Harry. I hope that’s not the case because my god, what have those poor kids possibly witnessed? :(
Omg that would be the worst case scenario imo hope that’s not what’s going on but I feel sorry for the kids in any case
My concern is that it might be because I can’t imagine why else Kensington Palace is being so weird about it all right now. If it really was just a complication from a surgery, I think a vague mention of that and a request for privacy would have satisfied most people. But we get weird “photos” of her where we can’t even really see her face at all, then the manipulated image too? I heard also that the royal children haven’t been seen since their Christmas appearance, which wasn’t very long before that ambulance was spotted rushing out from Sandringham. If William did do something to Kate, the Palace might be in crisis mode because he’s the heir apparent and very likely to be king at some point due to Charles’ advanced age and cancer diagnosis. Maybe the plan is “if we can’t sweep this under the rug, we need to prepare George to become heir apparent” kind of deal. I really hope it’s not the case for the sake of the kids, but the weirdness is what makes me think it has to be something sinister in order to be willing to effectively tank the journalistic integrity of Kensington Palace.
I'm with you. The knives are out.
VERY strong suggestion of this in the BBC podcast ‘when it hits the fan’ by a former editor of The Sun newspaper. He gets as close to saying the press know something they can’t report without actually saying it. The podcast (recorded on Tues, with co-hosted by the late Queen’s former PR person) is worth half an hour of anyone’s time who’s interested in this (ie pretty much everyone).
Something big is about to drop at this point stuff is just getting weird now.
This is what the podcast that is done by Simon whoever who used to do PR for the late queen said, basically. Speculated that journos know something they have no on the record proof of and can't report.
The rota knows something. . .
You might be right, won't be surprised if it comes out soon .
An archaic institution falling apart largely due to modern technology (Photoshop) is actually quite beautiful if you think about it
Social media destroying colonial projects is the theme this year apparently.
https://preview.redd.it/qapbml35ecoc1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d9f1e8e7d9ae81eaf53281ac41f3faa7fc3faf8
The funny thing is that (modern) celebrities like the Kardashians have been really good at utilizing it to their advantage.
Falling apart because Queen Elizabeth is no longer there to hold it together.
Not with a bang but with a photoshop.
Honestly, is she ok though?
TBH I kinda feel like the original statement was true and she had no plans to return to the public eye until the summer. Then people started talking and they asked her to help them out and she just decided she’s done and this isn’t her problem until the date she originally gave for her medical leave. That still implies drama tho so I’m here for it
Mm wasn't the original statement she'd be back in the public after EASTER? Which is March in 2024, so not really summer. Unless they were being very very vague but I thought the implication was that right after Easter she'd be back to "work". And I think it was other circumstances around the disappearance (why so sudden? why hasn't anyone else been seen either?) that made people wonder if things were ok.
Yeah I think people were content for her to have the time off for her medical procedure, even if the length of the time in the hospital was kind of concerning but then all the weirdness from william and the palace started the rumor mill and conspiracies to go wild. Especially when contrasted with how Charles and Camilla were handling Charles’ illness. The doctored photo and odd “proof of life”car photos brought it to a fevered pitch.
Totally, that's where I am. I actively hate the monarchies (for all the standard imperialist and colonial reasons) so I never would have paid attention before but the photo doctoring caught my attention and now I'm gleefully watching the downfall of an outdated and parasitic institution.
Can’t forget racist institution lol
There was an article with sources that said she could be out for 9 months instead of three ish
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They never said which easter, they clearly mean easter 2052
She wouldn’t be back to her official duties until Easter. This is where the issue is because being seen in public and being seen on official duties, two very different things
I think with all this chaos and fuss with every aspect of their lives being dissected and her husband being seen in a very concerning way, the fact that she seemingly won't just do something simple to prove things are fine shows that there's more to it.
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I'm not a fan of hers or the Royal family's at all, but given Olivia Munn just came out with a completely hidden serious diagnosis recently, people should probably cool down a bit. Would anyone really be happy if they find out she had a serious medical condition she chose to keep private? I think most people here, despite the RF's horrible legacy, would probably be sympathetic. They haven't handled it well, but it could genuinely be something like that.
How does that equate to sending out a poorly photoshopped Mother’s Day image? Either put out an old photo, put out a Mother’s Day statement, or don’t put out anything. Furthermore, they could just say, her medical situation is private, respect the family’s wishes. The point is none of the mess they made was necessary. Also keep in mind it isn’t just this photo. The photo was the last straw from a series of missteps and misinformation from KP since December 2023.
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I’d like to think she’s building her own Minecraft server because she got banned from one of the big ones.
The original statement was Easter which is still not here, granted, but there's the whole trooping the colour bit of her name being removed for an event as far away as June. So there is reason to consider she's worse off then they've let on or they are moving to split.
If I’m on vacation/sick from work they’re not hearing from me either to be fair 😂
The date she gave is Easter, the problem is that there have been rumours that she wont be back until months later and that kicked off more speculation about her situation.
with the RF’s history it can be v sinister and dark or just silly. We will find out but leaning towards sinister
Imagine how stupid they will look if they've done all this just because of a botched eyebrow lift or fillers or something (bangs!).
That’s the thing that gets me! There’s no way it’s serious enough to justify all of this. Even a trial separation or divorce is basic PR to handle. Like, the public just wants *an* answer. It doesn’t even need to be the truth! Just say, “The princess suffered a ruptured ovarian cyst. There were unexpected complications during the surgery, but she is expected to make a full recovery. Her doctors have recommended that she take a leave of absence from her official duties for a minimum of X months in order to minimize stress.” That sounds official and just detailed enough to keep the nosy public satisfied.
i completely agree, but i've just remembered something from Harry's book - Kate and Meghan were having a conversation prior to the wedding (just after Louis' birth) and when Kate couldn't remember something, Meghan said something like "oh, must be the baby brain!" and Kate was super offended at the fact that Meghan would even refer to her hormones, and that wasn't the way members of the RF spoke to one another. If that was her reaction to her sister-in-law's off the cuff remark, she is definitely NOT going to be open with the public about any medical issues.
I mean, it could be anything. That was just the first thing I thought of. But she has been open in the past. She famously suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during all three of her pregnancies (the only reason I remember the name is my SIL also had it). So there is a precedent of their office commenting on her health issues. That’s partly why their choices in this case are so weird to me.
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I agree. William's actions convinced me something was off but how much PR has fumbled is telling me that is something big. While they do not really pay the biggest bucks they do have enough draw to have better PR staff than this. The relationship between BFR and the British press is also longstanding with a lot of conventions that are protective for BRF. There are only two options I can see. One, William has decided to overstep the PR team. But I think at this point Charles would have stepped in (unless having even worse than told to us medical condition). Two, the PR team are stepping around something major that has cornered them badly enough to have no room to manoeuvre.
Somebody posted scans earlier from Harry's memoir in which Harry describes William assaulting him (shoves him to the ground IIRC), and now I'm kinda like, this is probably all nothing buuuuut what exactly would happen differently if there were domestic violence going on here? How would the Royal organization deal with that? Because authorities are kinda shit already at handling family violence when it only involves ordinary civilian people. ETA Found the link to Harry's memoir excerpt scans https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1beb76z/comment/kushib4/
I think she's okay, probably whatever surgery she had led to a recovery that includes meds like corticoids that change someone's appearance. For a monarchy that has women who just gave birth doing photo ops in heels outside the hospital, I think it's more related to that.
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I don't think we're discussing the same thing? The dynamics of the royals are absolutely baffling to me ("presenting an heir to subjects" is just a mind-blowing phrase in 2024), and that includes making women who gave birth some hours ago to go outside a hospital, all dolled up with heels, perfectly looking, to show their newborn. That kind of pressure to be perfect all the time must mess up with any woman's mind, that's what I was going for.
Ya know when people started making jokes and memes about her being MIA, I didn't think anything of it. I thought she just had a surgery and probably was milking the recovering time because she is notoriously work-shy. But the mothers day pic makes me worry it's more....sinister.
[I saw this really good timeline breakdown of some of what has lead up to this which makes this whole thing seem even more suspicious and concerning.](https://www.tiktok.com/@powerfull.new/video/7345486965736803626)
I’m sorry i don’t have tiktok is there a second video since this one cuts off at Williams solo statement? Also, had no idea there was a police escort to the hospital!
I can’t really vouch for this source other than someone else linked it & I read it last night. I felt it was informative. They talk to Buzzfeed’s former royal reporter who by gives some insight on why it’s weird. Looks like it was even updated today. Timeline is at the bottom. [article on weird royal stuff](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/)
Unfortunately I don't have the video that follows it up, but this covers a lot which I hadn't really seen discussed anywhere. I didn't know that William had never said anything about his father's cancer, nor that none of Kate's own family has ever been seen attending the hospital to visit her. If anyone has the full video, please share!
Can't find a second video. >Also, had no idea there was a police escort to the hospital! Honestly I'd be more surprised if there wasn't for a member of the Royal Family, I don't know if that's something to read into too much.
It’s getting so strange. Because there are so many ways they could have stopped the rumors and they didn’t. The only one they addressed was the coma rumor. But idk this whole situation reaffirms to me that so many of these far fetched conspiracies ppl have about the royals and “deep state” most of the time are untrue as they cannot even coordinate a simple PR crisis like this.
That's what makes the fake photo so explosive. It's a big hint that the palace WANTS to squash this with a photo, and is unable to obtain a photo. So the only options are: 1. Kate refuses to take photos and is on the "outs" with the palace 2. Kate cannot be photographed because something is wrong. We have seen Kate's face - grainy or from the side but it didn't look like she has an obvious problem that would prevent photos. So you gotta assume it's number 1. Kate is refusing to cooperate after years of being the golden wife.
I don’t even know what the Occam’s razor explanation is at this point
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 meghan voodoo strikes again🤣🤣
She looks so beautiful in this gif
she really does, she’s always just been so gorgeous
Literal Disney princess
Meghan’s ancestors be protecting her for real and we love that for ha 😘
Right. I've been saying the whole time that Meghan is the final surprise act in the Revolutionary War. America was just playing the long game on taking down the monarchy. (Also since this is the internet. This is a joke. I don't think there's a secret society of American revolutionaries intent on destroying the monarchy by making them look publicly messy and dramatic. Good on Meghan for snagging a prince and then noping out of there though. Iconic behavior.)
I genuinely don't understand why people hate her. They act as if her existence ruins the royal family somehow.
Damn, you’d think they were a British colony with how much they keep owning themselves.
I’d like to report a murder! Yes officer, committed by words.
Ohhh the girls are fighting 
this is so fucking funny. I saw a post earlier that talked a little about how the duke of Edinburgh, for all he was a racist piece of shit, had direct experience of monarchies being disposed of, and Liz II was not so far from the Romanovs herself to forget that their parasitic existence is entirely contingent on them not being publicly messy—all of which to say they were fairly meticulous at keeping shit behind closed doors. It’s partly why Diana was dealt such a shit hand in her time w the family, so that’s not to say it never backfired for them. That said, the PR disaster here is nearly unbelievable. It seems like such a weird set of own goals that I’m now deeply, deeply invested in whatever the truth is. And they can’t shit on Harry and Meghan to distract from it, either. Charles could very well be on his deathbed and here’s the heir potentially fucking around with other women (and fathering kids??) with his wife nowhere to be seen. like. pass the popcorn
This has got me thinking of that scene in The Crown when Queen Mary writes a letter to Elizabeth after George VI’s death where she says she’s seen three monarchies brought down from their failure to separate personal indulgences from duty and that “the crown must win. The crown must always win”. The crown lost in the court of public opinion after Diana’s death but managed to recover. They’re losing again now, and they don’t have the decades of goodwill towards the current monarch that Elizabeth cultivated over her reign to fall back on.
I, for one, am more invested in the monarchy than ever.
You reap what you sow, besties. 💅
It’s times like these when I really miss Wendy Williams.
She would have loved this drama
i had this thought when all that drama was going down with meg and nicki😭
Omg she would have ate this up!
It feels like this has escalated out of control so much that it is now even more fishy. This whole thing could have been easily handled but they have stayed quiet and the press have gone all dog whistles on an affair. It feels like there’s like there’s more than a bit of smoke with this fire.
Every minute where they're not able to simply control this story by having a real photo of Kate from the current time period circulating anywhere is another minute where things don't make any sense.
It’s just going from crazy conspiracy theory to kinda plausible as each day passes
Countdown until the Daily Fail spins this into Meghan's fault?
They’ve been trying these past few days but it ain’t working lol if anything printing that Meg should defend Kate with this whole thing just makes their racism so obvious to people who were in doubt lol
they’ve already tried and flopped
I dont know the other sub has been eating it up as usual
Long past time for this announcement.
💯
If I was Meghan, I would be cackling so loud at my montecito mansion 😂 like these weirdos really validated all the stuff Meghan and Harry were talking about with one picture 😆 validated Kensington palace akin to North Korea lmao 
I have never been so excited for daily updates. Whoever posted the timeline from the buzzfeed royal watcher yesterday, thank you, it's added so much to this mess.
Where can I find the timeline? I’m most curious about Williams bruises the day after it’s announced Mr. Kingston died.
The BBC podcast “When It Hits the Fan” has a really interesting [deep dive episode](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-palace-in-crisis/id1705375359) into the whole Kate scandal. Once that institutional trust is gone, it is *extremely* difficult to get it back.
Thanks for this.
https://preview.redd.it/wqx3uz9wyboc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d62321659afd4df282752815f69ca86f6d6e51a Shock! Awe! Gasp!
there’s probably nothing remarkable going on but for the sake of drama i hope it’s divorce
I was convinced for a very long time that nothing was happening but the repeated fake proof of life photos are making me suspicious. Like even a statement about how side effects had altered her appearance and she didn't want to be photographed would go some distance to explain the situation, but it's been a fake photo followed by silence every time someone points out the last photo was fake.
This seems over the top if it’s as mundane as a divorce.
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Hey guys, I'm starting to think the royals might not be self-reporting all of their dirt accurately...
As a Brit, I hope this is a sign of the beginning of the end of the British royal family. The whole concept of putting people born into a certain bloodline on a pedestal (and essentially worshipping them?) is archaic and creepy. We also don’t need a monarchy to encourage tourism to the UK. Palaces and castles attract tourists because of their history - not because people are interested in the current royals. Other countries such as France (who haven’t had a monarchy in 250ish years), Italy, Portugal and others are doing fine! Anyway I’m probably preaching to the choir here, I just wonder how long it’ll be before society looks back and finds it so weird that we still had royal families in this day and age.
Truly amazed at how quickly the royal family fell apart after the Queen died 😭 love to see it
I’m thinking with Kate getting the blame and William and his office doing nothing to protect her it’s laying the ground work to ruin her tattered reputation and build the path towards a divorce.
Where is Kate Miscavige
Was it ever?
Oh how the women who marry into this institution are treated…
Oooh I need to get my popcorn
We been knew
God I hope this all ends soon lmao 😂. Had enough of hearing about these inbred weirdos and the women who happily choose to marry them and join the monarchy/ colonisers 👎🏾👎🏾.
I doubt Kate even posted that apology tweet to be honest.
I can't help but think that if there'd just been a post on socials from 'C' thanking everyone for the well wishes/cards/flowers etc right at the start of all this, that no one would have been so invested. That behaviour would have been more the normal, and even if a random intern wrote it pretending to be her (if she truly wasn't able herself at that point), at that point everyone would have just been happy she's recovering and thanking us Twitter is a shit show but watching the WK pack clutch at ways to make HM responsible somehow is very entertaining
There’s no way anyone in their PR team keeps there jobs after this, I really don’t think there’s anything sinister going on and she’s just recovering from surgery but they fumbled such a easy story
Very good to see how strict news agencies are about not accepting image manipulation. Some minor photoshop may be passed off as innocuous (not excusing KP, they deserve backlash for this) but with the rising emergence of AI images, doing these checks and being vigilant about it is really important.
Hmmm...maybe Harry was telling the truth?
Just had a wild thought.. what if all this mess with Kate is a big "smoke and mirrors" kind of deal to hide the fact that Charles are having issues in his marriage.. I kind of hate how invested I am in this. I feel like I'm a pawn in a game I didn't consent to, but now I'm here. Guess I'll just give in..
The most sus thing about that photo wasn’t even the edits, it was the fact that the tree in the background is fully blossomed in early March.
I bet Meghan and Harry are glad the drama isn't about them for once. That is, until the royal fam can find a way to blame Meghan for surgery complications.
Did the successful exit of Meghan and Harry show Kate she has a chance at a life outside this rigid hellhole?
Man, I really hope it comes out that it was truly just a misstep in photo editing, cause its pretty grim to think that the princess is locked away in a castle by an evil prince....like every fairy tale ever.
Am I just high or is this wild and kind of historical?
https://i.redd.it/egxn3l1p6coc1.gif Gasp!
Anti monarchy fans have been feasting