Kate Middleton's photo debacle is an unforced error by a person generally seen as picture-perfect, and a princess.
Yes, Catherine, Princess of Wales, apologized on social media on Monday over “any confusion” over image manipulation that led five major news agencies to remove the family photo from the royalty had shared hours before. However, all the #WhereIsKate speculation that has gone viral recently has to do with more than just Middleton's “amateur” photo editing. It has its roots in privacy issues and short-sighted strategies in the palace media.
Understanding the fury begins with his origins. On January 17th came advertisement that Kate had been admitted to a London hospital a day earlier for “planned abdominal surgery” and would likely be recovering “until after Easter.” The princess wanted her personal medical information to remain private.
The same day he brought Other unexpected real health news: King Charles III would be hospitalized for a prostate procedure. The following month, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles, 75, had cancer and would not appear in public while undergoing treatment.
Although Charles was soon photographed leaving the hospital and appeared in social media posts shared by the palace, Kate's convalescence has been conspicuously image-free. Gradually, the discussion about her absence went from online chatter, even among conspiracy theorists, to conventional hypotheses. The memes took off after Prince William, Kate's husband, withdrew from attending a memorial service, citing personal reasons.
Part of the curiosity was fueled by the fact that Kate during years He has been a runner, sailor and field hockey stick wielder. embodiment of fitness. There were humorous theories: if the princess had disappeared in a Willy Wonka Scam Event? She was recovering from a Brazilian butt lift? But there was also darker speculation, such as the Spanish media's claim that Kate was in a coma. she that she drew real recoilalthough the Windsors rarely respond to media reports.
If recent quotes from anonymous “friends” are to be believed, William and Kate simply wanted her to be able to recover from surgery in peace, and not on anyone else's schedule. If current reports are to be believed, the photographic debacle was a human error committed solely in the pursuit of real perfection.
It sounds reasonable, but in general it doesn't need to be. skeptical about the palace's motives to see how sending a doctored image when seeking to quell rumors about Kate's health is bad publicity. The photo alone won't break most people's trust in the monarchy, but it's not the royals' only public relations problem.
Queen Elizabeth II famously said that it had to be seen to be believed. This is how the British monarchy works. But the palace is operating under a labor shortage This is especially noticeable when it comes to the photogenic younger generation. Of the dozen royals While they regularly perform public duties on behalf of the crown, only William, 41, and Kate, 42, are under 50. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are off duty. The king who recorded the most public commitments last year It was Princess Anne, the king's 73-year-old sister.
The absence of younger “working” royals to take over is a long-term problem for the Windsors. Part of the reason William's absence from the late February memorial service stood out was that his disgraced uncle prince andrew, who was removed from public duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ended up leading the royal family's entourage at the event. In a family business, family members continue to be protagonists after dismissal, even when prospects are bad.
Managing the overall optics is also a challenge, partly because there is no centralized royal press operation: the teams comprising Charles and Catherine are based in different palaces. That makes some sense, until different approaches, like Charles and Kate's to their health situations, conflict or distract from each other.
Unless more controversy arises over the photos (CNN, at least, has said yes). reviewing all the images from previous palace brochures — Sympathy for Kate's health problems is likely to outweigh criticism, and the Windsors will continue to be liked by their subjects. But amid royal health crises, the health of the monarchy as a whole is being tested.
Autumn Brewington, a Washington journalist, wrote the Washington Post's royal newsletter “Post Elizabeth.”
