This altered family photo of the Princess of Wales has been the subject of intense scrutiny and speculation in the UK since it was posted on the royal family’s Instagram on Mother’s Day.

The photo aims to quell speculation Kate’s She has been in good health since her brief stay in the hospital in January. abdominal surgeryshortly after her 42nd birthday.

From now on, the princess Photographed smiling and looking happy The Sun footage of a shopping trip with husband Prince William was released after the edited images sparked far-fetched conspiracy theories – not just here but in the UK USA as well as.

Sky News analysis shows that the day before the photo was published (March 9), “Kate Middleton” was mentioned about 2,600 times on Facebook and Instagram in the United States. On March 11, the day after her photo was posted, there were more than 128,000 mentions.

This represents a 274% increase in usage of her name. During the same period (March 9-11), usage of the #KateMiddleton hashtag increased by 490%.

Celebrities have been posting about the royals, and even the White House is feeling the ripple effects.

Here’s how the story is being talked about across the ocean.

Sky News US correspondent James Matthews said:

“It’s extraordinary. Like, extraordinary.

“In America, ‘KateGate’ is a powerful dose of medicine for the influencer generation stuck in ‘Emergency!!’ YouTube special about what happened, where is she, and I wonder about Meghan What does Markle have to say about this?

“In a country that loves conspiracy theories, like and subscribe to stories of Kate riding Shegar, chasing Lord Lucan through the forests of Narnia, and more.

“After all, Photoshop does it now.

“‘There’s a non-zero chance that she died 18 months ago,’” comedian John Oliver quipped on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live.”

“‘Where’s Kate’ is a question across the Atlantic – it’s all talked about, both on screen and in the street.

“Being British in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., carries a heavy responsibility for the whole thing.

“Americans are asking us for inside information – it’s like we’re a few episodes ahead in this soap opera.

“Last week, a neighbor stopped me to ask – as did a fellow American journalist I bumped into in the hallway who was brushing his teeth.

“A mouthful of toothpaste can’t hide my disappointment with ‘I Can’t Tell You.’”

“Indeed, call yourself a reporter.”

Kim K’s “Looking for Kate” post

kim kardashian Trends are never slow.

The reality TV star and businesswoman appeared to reference the royal in her Instagram photo.

“I’m on my way to Kate,” the 43-year-old wrote in the caption of nine photos of herself wearing the same outfit, albeit in various poses.

american celebrities Blake Lively She also seemed to downplay the situation, posting a photo on Instagram showing her head resting on top of another woman’s body.

The actress, who is promoting new drinks from her company Betty Buzz, captioned the image: “I’m so excited to share this new photo I just took today to announce our 4 new @bettybuzz and @ bettybooze products!

“Now you know why I disappeared [missing in action]”.

The post – a nod to the royal family’s situation – received mixed responses in the comments, as did Kardashian, with some suggesting the couple were “mocking” the royal while she was unwell.

Talk show discussion

Many American talk shows also have dedicated portions of their programs to discuss members of the royal family.

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the host ended his monologue by showing an apparently altered photo of the Princess of Wales, saying: “In an effort to quell the scandal, the royal family released the original photo, which shows Kate playing Photo of a skateboard.” More than a tiger. “

Likewise, the satirical news show The Daily Show did a six-minute segment on the situation, in which comedian and “veteran journalist” Michael Costa said: “I don’t even know or care about Kate Middleton of leave, but then you post an edited photo and they have to issue a kill order? Well, now I’m all for it.”

In a mild comment accompanying the clip, he added: “You don’t need a forensic analysis to know this photo is fake… three kids smiling at the same time. As a parent, I know that’s impossible.”

read more:
What the data says about edited photos
Why doctored images are particularly disturbing – Boulton

“View” host Whoopi Goldberg took a more serious approach, suggesting that conspiracy theories following the photo’s release were not kind.

“When you believe these things, it’s not cute when they start doing this to your family or your children,” she said. “It’s not fun. It really annoys me.”

She admitted she was speculating, then weighed in on why she thought the princess edited the photo.

She said: “I think Kate took a picture and said ‘oh, his lips don’t look right, her bum doesn’t look right, this doesn’t look right, let me fix it.’”

“I believe she took the photo and gave it to [the palace] Because she wants to be in charge of the stories that are being published. “

Two of Goldberg’s co-hosts, Sarah Haynes and Alyssa Farrah Griffin, said the princess could “solve” the problem by posting a video in which she talks to the camera, telling viewers “I am fine”.

Griffin said: “Now you have an unseen princess, waiting for the queen. She can solve this problem and the palace can put her directly in front of the camera in two minutes.”

The White House was involved twice

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared confused last week when she was asked whether a photo of President Joe Biden had been altered before it was sent out.

Other reporters scoffed at the question, to which Ms. Jean-Pierre responded: “Digitally altered? Not that I know of. I would say no.”

“Why are we digitally altering photos? Are you talking about… are you comparing us to what’s happening in the UK?”

When the reporter said he was “doing his due diligence”, she laughed and asked why the royal family had “anything to do with us” before adding: “No, that’s not what we do here.”

Asked a day later whether President Biden had received any intelligence about the princess’ health, Ms Jean-Pierre said: “I have not spoken to the president about Kate Middleton.

“She has asked for privacy. Her family has asked for privacy as well, and we will certainly respect that.”

“The Kate Conspiracy”

The internet is always abuzz with conspiracy and speculation, and the health of the Princess of Wales is one of the latest hot topics.

Members of the royal family, as well as celebrities and politicians, often fall into conspiracy theories on social platforms, but when major news organizations take action Give notice of termination In an altered Mother’s Day photo, it has captured the imagination of theorists like never before.

Theories range from the seriously concerning to the most bizarre, such as the idea that she was actually unable to attend the event because of her appearance on The Masked Singer.

Someone talks about her photo Leaving Windsor with Prince William Behind the car.

The photo only shows the back of the Princess of Wales’ head, but that’s enough to lead conspiracy theorists to believe an old photo of the royal family was superimposed onto the photo.

But as Sky News royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said, this is “not just a rogue conspiracy theory”.

“When there are issues of trust and transparency, they have to be taken seriously.” she wrote.

She added: “Of course some people will think these changes may be minor, is there anything wrong with that?

“But it will mean that all the photos they release now will be subject to more attention and scrutiny – rather than just the excitement that usually comes with every new photo released by Kensington Palace.”