‘Not Kate’: Speculation abounds after Princess of Wales ‘spotted’ shopping

After days of radio silence over Catherine, Princess of Wales’s public absence, British tabloids have Photos of ‘missing’ royals out shopping made their front page. Keen royal watchers triumphantly claim that the visuals put to rest rumors about Kate Middleton’s health and whereabouts. But most social media users were unimpressed and declared the smiling woman in the photo “not Kate”.

Kate Middleton is all smiles as she accompanies husband Prince William on a grocery store run in a photo that may have been an attempt to stem speculation about her health and disappearance from public view. Instead, it further fanned the flames of wild conspiracy theories that have been circulating for weeks.

Is that Kate?

Kate Middleton ‘discovered’ photos and videos of herself in her favorite Windsor Farm shop over the weekend Abdominal surgery in January, published by The Sun. The tabloid quoted onlookers as saying the Duchess of Cambridge appeared “happy, relaxed and healthy” next to her husband.

“It’s great to see (via @TheSun) Kate laughing with William on a shopping trip. She’s obviously recovering well. This should put an end to a lot of conspiracy theories,” Piers Morgan, the famous British broadcaster and royal insider Morgan said.

Is he an impostor?

However, eagle-eyed viewers pointed out some issues with the footage of the royal couple. Some noted the grainy nature of the photos and videos, which were taken by seemingly harmless bystanders.

“Pierce, they used a Nokia N95 to record these shots. It’s very normal that almost every phone on the market has a 4K and HD camera these days,” noted X user Alejandro Suárez Basso.

“With all the technology today, this is the best photo they can take, like people taking photos of UFOs or Bigfoot, I don’t buy it (sic),” said another.

Others claimed that something more sinister was going on – that the woman who was snatched was not the real Kate Middleton, but a body double. Social media sleuths claimed the woman in the photo “looks nothing like” a princess, noting the differences in ears and cheekbones.

Some also questioned whether the man next to her was actually Prince William. “I’m not entirely convinced that’s William either (the hair behind the hat is a giveaway),” one X user posted.

Is this staged?

There have been accusations that Buckingham Palace either staged a photo of William and Kate or hired impersonators to cover up some of the issues in their personal lives.Notably, the smiling, joyful photos of the royal couple were taken at Rumors Between William and Sarah Rose HanburyMarchioness of Cholmondeley.

Some are wasting no time poking fun at the royal family’s chaos, which is getting increasingly chaotic and attempts at damage control appear to be making things worse.

The mystery surrounding Kate Middleton has grown from a niche concern among royal watchers to a international laughs. Some unusual details – poor quality photos, changed image, vague medical information, irregular updates from the British royal family – keep the public guessing. As the palace conspiracy deepens, British royal family’s ‘big announcement’ waiting.