Kate Middleton MIA

[gummybear]

I have never, ever given 2 shits about the royals but this Kate Middleton drama is bananas. Early this AM when the palace released the “Mothers Day” photo I was clearly able to see some manipulation but it seemed fairly common for a portrait with multiple kids - ignoring the fact that you’d think they’d be able to afford a better photo editor. But now that AP and Reuters have killed it…are there more nefarious edits?

Where do you think she is?

[eb777888]

I can't see how the manipulation is that big of a deal? The things pointed out aren't compelling to me. One of the big tweets going around is questioning the younger sons crossed fingers- David does/did that in photos as well. I do think something weird is going on, and admit I that I'm invested but I'm kind of meh on this photo. I do think it could be an old photo.

[jlt19]

Like I’m 5 recap for us non-Royal fans? Is there some conspiracy theory she’s dead or something?

[gummybear]

I was a photographer for a couple years and did many family portraits. It’s next to impossible to get everyone looking right in nice photo esp when the kids are super little. The stuff I’ve seen pointed out is pretty basic and any mediocre photographer would notice/fix. I’m just baffled the palace saw it and was like, yep this is good.

But WHY?!? The mistakes were obvious. AND after all this hoopla about cheating, divorce, spousal abuse etc. she’s not even wearing her rings!! Are they trolling!?!

[nsl]

I'm about to turn 43 and not 10 minutes ago tried to make my fingers do what Louis' are doing in that photo. It was easy, and any parent of a fidgety kid knows that they wind up with so many weird pictures just because holding still is way too hard.

That said, I think the lack of a wedding ring is the most damning detail. Some kind of marriage problem wouldn't surprise me, up to and including a separation that had Kate refusing to cooperate with palace PR until things reached a fever pitch recently, and then for just that one short photo session from which they cobbled together the strange picture that was released today.

And also, dear lord I wish I was less interested in this story. Why does the royal family have to be so weirdly compelling?

[gummybear]

She went I to the hospital in December for “abdominal surgery” and was there for 2-3 weeks (which makes it seem serious - they boot you after c/s in 2 days ffs). She’s been “recovering” ever since but hadn’t been seen or heard from at all. Rumors range from she was really getting a BBL to William has disfigured her.

[scm1011]

I always find the lack of wedding ring pearl clutching odd. I haven't worn my wedding rings this week because my fingers are dry and they're bothering me. Other days I've not worn them because I was gardening and then forgot to put them back on. It hardly seems like a red herring to me.

I'm no royal watcher or Kate lover but I imagine she's going through some shitty health stuff and all this conspiracy theory crap is crappy.

[eb777888]

Mar 10, 2024 19:08:30 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I always find the lack of wedding ring pearl clutching odd. I haven't worn my wedding rings this week because my fingers are dry and they're bothering me. Other days I've not worn them because I was gardening and then forgot to put them back on. It hardly seems like a red herring to me.

I wasn't wearing my wedding ring today and my H's aunt immediately noticed and asked about it. I never wear it anymore.  I'm not the Princess of Wales, though. 

Is she ever seen without it? I wonder if it didn't fit after surgery.

[gummybear]

I never wear my wedding rings either bc I lift weights almost every day and they get in the way. But considering they are trying to manage rumors I’d think that makes it odd.

I think whatever illness she had is super serious. Maybe I don’t understand the royals (like I said, I never paid attention until 2 weeks ago) but wouldn’t they want support instead of all these awful conspiracies?

[circa1978]

Their repeated lack of PR competence is the most interesting thing about it to me. Unless you believe it is intentional and to distract from something else going on with King Charles or elsewhere in the family, which I actually think is the most credible idea, given how weird this and the pap snap of her looking all swollen and weird last week.

[spinnaker5]

Mar 10, 2024 19:02:36 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Like I’m 5 recap for us non-Royal fans? Is there some conspiracy theory she’s dead or something?

This article is long but lays it all out:
www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/this-is-just-weird-buzzfeed-news-former-royals-reporter-on-kate-middleton-palace-press-and-distrust-in-the-media/

The Wales’ PR team has made a ton of unforced errors, but this photo thing is next level. 

[mccallister84]

I wish the AP had explained a bit more about why they pulled the photo. I thought face swapping was fairly common. Is it just that or is there more that makes them believe it’s a fake photo?

Someone on CEP did say they pulled the Louis missing finger Christmas Card photo as well, which I don’t think anyone doubted the veracity of, so it does seem the AP has pretty strict requirements for photos.

***People agreed that the card photo was photoshopped but there was not this level of speculation.

[eb777888]

I think the theory that it can be an intentional distraction makes sense.

[klee23]

Mar 10, 2024 19:06:04 GMT -5 gummybear said:

She went I to the hospital in December for “abdominal surgery” and was there for 2-3 weeks (which makes it seem serious - they boot you after c/s in 2 days ffs). She’s been “recovering” ever since but hadn’t been seen or heard from at all. Rumors range from she was really getting a BBL to William has disfigured her.

She did a weird drive by "photo op" with her mom a week ago (i.e. KP contacted their preferred photog to get one picture to sell to the tabs)

[nsl]

Mar 10, 2024 19:08:30 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I always find the lack of wedding ring pearl clutching odd. I haven't worn my wedding rings this week because my fingers are dry and they're bothering me. Other days I've not worn them because I was gardening and then forgot to put them back on. It hardly seems like a red herring to me.

I'm no royal watcher or Kate lover but I imagine she's going through some shitty health stuff and all this conspiracy theory crap is crappy.

Yeah, but you're not an international celebrity who's been MIA from the public eye since Christmas, who has a full-time PR team, and whose marital status has been a topic of considerable gossip/conspiracy theories for months.

(God, why do I know this about the royals. WHY DO I CARE ENOUGH TO KNOW THIS???)

My point is that for most of us not wearing our rings is NBD and certainly not a sign of pending divorce. For the first official picture of the future Queen of England after months of no news, no pictures, no statements it's almost certainly a lot more than that.

[icedcoffee]

When my H and I were having issues I was even more cognizant about wearing my rings so I don’t think that holds anything. When things in my marriage are better I tend to forget them. #anecdotes

I personally don’t give 2 shits about the royal family and I don’t think they owe us anything but seeing how they’ve chosen to live in the spotlight they’re doing a shitty job of warding off speculation. Just give a basic answer for Christ sake.

[gummybear]

Oh I didn’t see the CEP thread! I’ll have to see what they think too 😛

I saw the car photo too and it didn’t even look much like her! Maybe she’s on steroids which would explain the lack of rings and swollen face. Maybe transplant?

What are the Charles rumors? That he is more ill than they are reporting? If he dies William is king right? Will Kate just cone swooping back in as if nothing happened? Not that I think she’d swoop but they might make her swoop.

[scm1011]

Mar 10, 2024 19:19:57 GMT -5 nsl said:

Mar 10, 2024 19:08:30 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I always find the lack of wedding ring pearl clutching odd. I haven't worn my wedding rings this week because my fingers are dry and they're bothering me. Other days I've not worn them because I was gardening and then forgot to put them back on. It hardly seems like a red herring to me.

I'm no royal watcher or Kate lover but I imagine she's going through some shitty health stuff and all this conspiracy theory crap is crappy.

Yeah, but you're not an international celebrity who's been MIA from the public eye since Christmas, who has a full-time PR team, and whose marital status has been a topic of considerable gossip/conspiracy theories for months.

(God, why do I know this about the royals. WHY DO I CARE ENOUGH TO KNOW THIS???)

My point is that for most of us not wearing our rings is NBD and certainly not a sign of pending divorce. For the first official picture of the future Queen of England after months of no news, no pictures, no statements it's almost certainly a lot more than that.

Fair. I had no idea there had been speculation about their marriage for months. I thought they always seemed tight, but again, I'm more of a passive consumer of royal gossip.

[klee23]

I think Kate was moderately ill, not up for public appearances and has no intention of being forced into it.

I also think the internet is going to go wild with theories of what is going on and that the majority of people that participated did not really believe she had a BBL, face-lift, was abused by Wiiliam or hidden away while she's finalizing her divorce. They were having fun at her expense.

But their media team is and has been awful. The normal MO has been redirection or feeding negative stories about someone else. They have no strategy or savviness. So in response to wild Twitter speculation they put out a generic statement reiterating that she will be off work until after Easter, then a one off paparazzi photo and now the photoshopped pic today. It's feeding the fervor that something nefarious is going on while I think their pr is incompetent.

[eb777888]

I thought the car photo did look like her. The thing I found weird is how grainy it is.

[SusanBAnthony]

Mar 10, 2024 19:21:57 GMT -5 gummybear said:

Oh I didn’t see the CEP thread! I’ll have to see what they think too 😛

I saw the car photo too and it didn’t even look much like her! Maybe she’s on steroids which would explain the lack of rings and swollen face. Maybe transplant?

What are the Charles rumors? That he is more ill than they are reporting? If he dies William is king right? Will Kate just cone swooping back in as if nothing happened? Not that I think she’d swoop but they might make her swoop.

One rumor I heard was that she had to get an ostomy bag. That would definitely explain wanting to keep it private. Obviously it's just speculation but it had to have been a pretty serious condition, and we know it wasn't cancer (assuming we believe what they are saying, which we probably shouldn't since they straight up lie when it suits them).

[SusanBAnthony]

I had no idea there were marriage rumors until today (this post).

[icedcoffee]

Ok. I skimmed that article with the timeline. I think she’s addicted to heroin.

J/k. I have no idea but props to these people who are trying to figure it out!

[SusanBAnthony]

Serious question: what is the point of recalling the photo? It's already everywhere. Why not just issue a statement that kids are a mess to photograph, so Charlotte's face was photoshopped in from a different image. That would be completely normal and unremarkable..or just say nothing. Recalling it seems like the worst possible choice.

[klee23]

Mar 10, 2024 19:28:06 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

I had no idea there were marriage rumors until today (this post).

There's been rumors for years. The most talked about is with Rose Hanbury, a woman in their social circle. She is married to a much older man who is loyal to the BRF. If I'm not mistaken, a barage of negative H&M stories came to light when Rose's name first came up. I don't know if there's been another named mistress.

[fivechickens]

Wait. There are rumors that William is abusive? Is that why some think she was in the hospital.

I have eczema on my hands/fingers that sometimes makes it uncomfortable for me to wear my wedding band so I don’t but I feel weird. My husband hasn’t worn his wedding band for most of our marriage which has never bothered me.

I do think it is weird if Kate is not wearing her ring unless, like some say, her hands are swollen. Bravos and Cocktails has some blind items about a royal not being faithful and like his father. With those rumors and the rumored divorce I was kind of wondering if had a mental break and that was what the hospital stay was about.

[eb777888]

Mar 10, 2024 19:45:51 GMT -5 fivechickens said:

Wait. There are rumors that William is abusive? Is that why some think she was in the hospital.

I haven't read anything concrete, just speculation that seems reaching to me- Harry wrote in Spare that Will got physical with him, Kate and Will have a history of throwing things at each other when they fight. There may be more but that's all I've read. He very well can be abusive, I just haven't read anything that makes me think that's what's going on.

[mccallister84]

Mar 10, 2024 19:45:51 GMT -5 fivechickens said:

Wait. There are rumors that William is abusive? Is that why some think she was in the hospital.

I have eczema on my hands/fingers that sometimes makes it uncomfortable for me to wear my wedding band so I don’t but I feel weird. My husband hasn’t worn his wedding band since for most of our marriage which has never bothered me.

I do think it is weird if Kate is not wearing her ring unless, like some say, her hands are swollen. Bravos and Cocktails has some blind items about a royal not being faithful and like his father. With those rumors and the rumored divorce I was kind of wondering if had a mental break and that was what the hospital stay was about.

Honestly there are rumors about anything you can imagine.

There have been photos before all this where she is also not wearing her ring. Honestly, that seems the least important part to me - if they are separated and they convinced her to pose for a photo I’m sure they would have gotten her to wear the ring as well. I don’t think it’s unusual for a ring to not fit after surgery.

[nsl]

Mar 10, 2024 19:32:37 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Serious question: what is the point of recalling the photo? It's already everywhere. Why not just issue a statement that kids are a mess to photograph, so Charlotte's face was photoshopped in from a different image. That would be completely normal and unremarkable..or just say nothing. Recalling it seems like the worst possible choice.

Because credible news organizations don't publish misinformation/disinformation. It's not the royal family recalling it, it's the news orgs.

[klee23]

Mar 10, 2024 19:45:51 GMT -5 fivechickens said:

Wait. There are rumors that William is abusive? Is that why some think she was in the hospital.

I have eczema on my hands/fingers that sometimes makes it uncomfortable for me to wear my wedding band so I don’t but I feel weird. My husband hasn’t worn his wedding band since for most of our marriage which has never bothered me.

I do think it is weird if Kate is not wearing her ring unless, like some say, her hands are swollen. Bravos and Cocktails has some blind items about a royal not being faithful and like his father. With those rumors and the rumored divorce I was kind of wondering if had a mental break and that was what the hospital stay was about.

I think the abuse allegations are in line with the Brazilian butt lift surgery- fantastical speculation on what someone is out of sight for 3-4 months.

My theory since we're sharing- she starting looking extremely thin about a year ago, if she turned sideways she'd disappear. Much more slender than when she got married. I think there were digestive issues (either crohns, an eating disorder, or something else) that required surgery and she either has an ostomy, supplemental food source or healthily gaining weight back.