Before Kate Middleton‘s cancer diagnosis was made public, her whereabouts sparked intense conspiracy theories on the internet. It didn’t help that a U.K. Mother’s Day photo created a Photoshop controversy and a “kill notice” from reputable news agencies. Now, Getty Images is weighing in with editorial notes on the Princess of Wales’ cancer announcement video — and we have questions.
There is a clear editor’s note on the Kate video that states, “This Handout clip was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.” The photo agency doesn’t go into any further detail as to why they added that note to the clip, but it only furthers the speculation about the royal family at a time when at least two members of the family — the Princess of Wales and King Charles III — deserve the peace and space to heal.
The focus should solely be on the palace’s communications office which has continually bungled the royal family’s PR in the last few months. However, Kate’s video is fueling the internet rumors that it is an AI-generated clip. Even though BBC Studios confirmed that they filmed the message with the princess at Windsor Castle, it hasn’t settled the masses. The Washington Post even confirmed with Kensington Palace that any allegations of using AI are “factually inaccurate.” The media outlet also worked with experts who found that “it’s a spectacular combination of ignorance and arrogance” to even assume that high-tech, not Kate, was involved in the video.
The problem really comes down to this: the royal family has a credibility issue on its hands. Over a year after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released their Netflix docuseries and the Duke of Sussex published his memoir, Spare, the wizard behind the curtain has been revealed. It’s quite evident that the palace has been in bed with the British tabloids for quite some time and they’ve spent decades controlling the narrative about them.
As the public becomes more skeptical about celebrities in general — and yes, the royal family falls into this category — the harder it is to come back from these controversies. It’s possible that the BBC used gauzy lighting and filtering simply because the Princess of Wales doesn’t feel her best right now, but for royal critics, it’s not enough until they see Kate back in the public eye.
Before you go, click here to see more of Kate Middleton’s best royal fashion moments.
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