To celebrate Mother's Day and ease growing concerns about the Princess of Wales' health, Kensington Palace released a photograph of Kate Middleton and her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
However, the picture was swiftly 'killed' and recalled by major press agencies including AFP, AP, Reuters and Getty after accusations that the image had been 'manipulated' by the source. There appeared to be some discrepancies with Princess Charlotte's sleeve, Kate Middleton's blurry hand and the tiles on the floor behind them.
Kensington Palace then responded to the accusations directly on social media, with Kate Middleton writing, '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. C.'
Unfortunately, confirmation that the family photograph had been edited has only given rise to speculation about the Princess of Wales' current situation. The whole situation has now been dubbed #KateGate on social media.
Kate has since been photographed in a car with the Prince of Wales, leaving Windsor Castle for a 'private appointment' - while William was said to be heading to Westminster Abbey in the same car for this year's annual Commonwealth service.
Why was Kate Middleton's Mother's Day photo so controversial?
The family photo in question, taken by Prince William last week, is the first official image of Kate Middleton since Christmas Day and is the first time she's officially been pictured since her abdominal surgery in January.
Concerns about the princess first escalated when Prince William dropped out of attending King Constantine of Greece's memorial service in Windsor in February, which he was scheduled to give a reading at, due to a 'personal matter'. Since then, people have shared so many theories online that the Palace has been under increasing pressure to respond.
After growing speculation pertaining to her whereabouts, Kensington Palace released a second statement about Kate Middleton's wellbeing. It said, 'We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant.'
How is Kate Middleton doing now?
Kate Middleton is said to be making 'good progress', but requested privacy around her medical information. ‘The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,’ Kensington Palace's first statement read. ‘She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.’
Despite the explanation from the royal family, #WhereIsKate has been trending on social media for weeks with wild conspiracy theories spreading about her absence and when she might next undertake royal duties. As of yet, no future public engagements have been confirmed.
In March, rumours that Kate Middleton would be attending the Trooping the Colour on 8 June were dispelled by the Ministry of Defence. Tickets for the event went on sale with claims that the Princess of Wales would be in attendance, which would be her first confirmed return to royal duty since her hospitalisation. There has therefore been a rise in search for whether Kate Middleton is attending the Trooping the Colour this year.
She was listed on the event due to her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards, the regiment which is trooping its colour this year. However, it turns out the Army did not seek approval from Kensington Palace and have since removed the claim.
It is also unclear whether King Charles will be in attendance given that he has temporarily stepped back from royal duties following his cancer diagnosis.
Despite the Palace's attempts to quash the rumours and conspiracy theories circulating online and in the global media, the Mother's Day image and the recent paparazzi shots seem to have had the opposite effect.
In any case, it is an unprecedented move from Kensington Palace and shows the growing intensity of the speculation. It has even opened discourse on how such theories spread and the damage they can do when handled insensitively.