Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicIf you have been on social media over the past few days, you likely have been consumed with multiple conspiracy theories regarding what is going on with The Princess of Whales, Kate Middleton. Now, Disney fans are linking her disappearance with the theme parks.
Before becoming a member of the British royal family and stunning the media with nearly 100% of the time perfect photos, Kate Middleton was known as Catherine “Kate” Middleton. Middleton grew up in Berkshire and attended Marlborough College before studying Art History at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where she met her future husband, Prince William — the next king in line for the throne.
As a member of the royal family, Kate Middleton was officially known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She married Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London, which was a beloved event for many. The couple has three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Kate Middleton’s family members include her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her siblings, Pippa Middleton (who made headlines for her figure at Kate’s wedding) and James Middleton.
Kate Middleton’s duties as a royal include representing the monarchy at various events, both domestically and internationally. She is also involved in various charitable endeavors and patronages, focusing particularly on issues related to mental health, early childhood development, and the arts. Additionally, Middleton takes part in official engagements alongside her husband, Prince William, and other members of the royal family.
Because of all of these duties, Kate has been heavily photographed ever since she joined the Royal Family, and for many, is seen as a role model. Once Prince Harry and Megan Markle quit their royal roles and duties, this left William and Kate as the two younger leaders that the country of England could look up to and rely on.
Kate Middleton Photoshop Scandal
Flash forward to the U.K. Mother’s Day post that was put out with Kate and her three kids signaling that she was doing well after undergoing “scheduled abdominal surgery” in January, she has been recuperating well. Prior to this, she had been absent from public engagements for several months, sparking speculation and conspiracy theories about her well-being.
Then, a kill notice was issued to remove all of the images of Kate from the media in reference to that photo.
To give you a sense of scale, AP says it publishes thousands of stories a day and a million pictures a year. Getty Images covers 160,000 events annually. That a kill notice of this magnitude happened is a big deal. It was stated that Kate edited the photo, and since it was altered, it had to be removed.
Below is the photo on the princeandprincessofwales Instagram account, which still has not been removed and is flooded with comments asking where Kate is.
Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.
Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C
📸 The Prince of Wales, 2024
View this post on Instagram
While Kate wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” excusing the reasoning for the photoshop, others dug deeper.
Many believe that it is not even Kate who is talking or posting these images.
Ruby Naldrett (@Rubynaldrett), someone who has been determined to crack the case showed that the layering of Kate Middleton’s vogue cover looks identical to this photo, stating that the entirety of the picture was fabricated.
my analysis of the kate middleton photo saga is that they took her face from the vogue cover she did years ago and edited it in pic.twitter.com/JLXts08zp5
— Ruby Naldrett (@rubynaldrett) March 11, 2024
It was evident that the photo had been manipulated. Princess Charlotte’s left hand did not align properly with the sleeve of her sweater. Middleton’s zipper appeared misaligned, and certain body parts, such as a knee and a hand, were noticeably blurred. This led to widespread speculation about the true circumstances surrounding the princess’s condition.
As noted by Cosmopolitan, “Just FYI, the metadata from the image Kensington Palace distributed to AP Images has been pulled by the BBC and shows that it was taken using a digital camera with a Canon lens. The pic was then reportedly saved twice on Adobe Photoshop—first on March 8 at 9:54 pm GMT, and then again on March 9 at 9:39 am GMT.”
While there are no clear answers, social media is covered with millions wondering where Kate is, why she has not made a public appearance for months, and why after all this, will the Royal Family not just show that she is safe and unharmed, but just recovering at home.
What Happened to Kate Middleton?
So far, there are a lot of suggestions as to what has gone wrong.
Some belive that the surgery she underwent was not planned, as an ambulance had to pick her up and bring her to the hospital. If that were the case, the question remains as to why lie about it as other illnesses within the Royal Family, such as King Charles’ cancer has been made public. Others belive that Middleton left the Royal Family and her duties like Prince Harry and Megan Markle, and now, there are rumors that Prince William had infidelity issues.
William was rumored to have cheated on Kate with a woman named Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. According to Yahoo, an “unnamed royal family member’s wife allegedly “doesn’t mind” the affair and “prefers her husband getting his sexual needs fulfilled elsewhere as long as things don’t become emotional, which was the cast with the last woman.”
Whatever the reason for Kate Middleton’s disappearance, many worried about her well-being.
Is Kate Middleton at Disney World?
Some Disney fans are now joking that she has taken up a new castle, Cinderella Castle, to be clear.
Suffy G (@Reecealj) shared a video of a Kate Middleton impersonator (and we say that loosely) who claims to be at Disney World.
This Kate Middleton vid has absolutely finished me 😭 Kate from Castle 🤣
This Kate Middleton vid has absolutely finished me 😭 Kate from Castle 🤣 pic.twitter.com/uOlVMnwvZo
— SUFFY Gᵀᴹ (@REECEALJ) March 13, 2024
Another Disney fan Johnny Boy (@THEnotoriousJ0D) shared a photoshopped picture of Kate at Magic Kingdom.
Everyone’s blathering on about a conspiracy, but here’s Kate Middleton at Disney this afternoon
Everyone’s blathering on about a conspiracy, but here’s Kate Middleton at Disney this afternoon pic.twitter.com/TQpBTsZtyr
— johnny boy (@THEnotoriousJ0D) March 11, 2024
Nathan Hartman (@somestuffisaid) photoshopped Kate’s face onto the ride photo for EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth, which photographs guests on the ride.
New Kate Middleton image just dropped. I find this one just as suspicious as the first.
New Kate Middleton image just dropped. I find this one just as suspicious as the first. pic.twitter.com/9mhKkMSTRm
— Nathan Hartman (@somestuffisaid) March 11, 2024
Even publications like Morning Laziness are comparing Kate to a Disney princess.
While Kate is certainly not at Walt Disney World riding Slinky Dog Dash and taking a photo with Mickey Mouse, it does seem that her story is turning into that of a twisted fairy tale, where the princess may need to be rescued.
For now, Kensington Palace and the Royal Family are not discussing the drama that has taken place over the past few days and are seemingly looking to let this all blow over.
Experts Weigh in on Missing Kate Middleton
Afua Hagan, a Royal expert and broadcaster weighed into the controversy, stating:
“I actually feel sorry for Kate now. It may be she’s under so much pressure that her and the kids have to look perfect and have to look great and have to look presentable that she feels the need to Photoshop pictures in that way, which is a shame and speaks to where we are as a society, that everybody has to look great all the time.
Nobody should feel that level of pressure. I also feel Kensington Palace need to step up and take charge of this.”
Another expert, Robert Jobson, Author of ‘Our King’ and ‘William at 40’ said “Someone should have spotted this, or realized the photographs had been doctored, and in doing so realized that in this day and age when people are so hot on AI—and rightly so—that you can’t put out doctored pictures,” according to Newsweek.
“It’s as simple as that. Its a genuine mistake by Kate. She’s recovering from surgery but not using professional photographers leaves you open to this sort of mess.I think she was trying to do her best to get all the kids in the picture looking smiley and make sure it’s the best picture possible but if you’re an amateur at this you can, in trying to make it look the best, forget the most fundamental thing that matters—which is authenticity.
And this leads to people doubting the integrity of the institution and the palace in terms of what they put out, not just in photographs but in information. It’s not a great day for the royal family, but at the same time, most people will forgive Kate for the mistake.”
That being said, after Princess Diana, Prince William’s mother, had died in a car accident, speculations were pointing to the Royal Family as the source of what was rumored to be a planned murder. So, seeing another princess also disappear mysteriously has certainly set off alarm bells for many.
What do you think happened to Kate Middleton? Has this controversy been blown out of proportion?