By Athena Papakosta

It was the first time we saw Kate Middleton after 12 weeks out of the limelight. Or, does the “happy, relaxed and healthy» brown lady in the few seconds video is not the princess of wales but one of her henchmen? And if she is, is she too emaciated?

Social Media is having a party, and these kinds of scenarios follow each other, fueling the existing conspiracy theories, while the news of Kate Middleton’s reappearance goes around the world.

The short video, which shows the Princess of Wales shopping at a food store in Windsor, accompanied by her husband Prince William, was released by the British newspaper The Sun.

As mentioned in the publication, the footage was taken by an ordinary citizen, aged 40, from a car parked in the parking lot of the store and, according to the British Media, to this day they are the only proof that Kate Middleton is well and even enough to can go out of the house.

However, the scandal-mongering mood of many has not yet stopped. On apps like Generation Z’s popular TikTok, or traditional X, formerly Twitter, the two-month-old scripts about Middleton’s health and fitness have been so strong that we’ve now reached the point where there are conspiracy theories about. .. the conspiracy theories.

In this vicious circle of confusion the secrecy of the Palace does not help.

Immediately following the abdominal surgery the Princess of Wales underwent last January, Kensington Palace asked the media and the public to respect Kate Middleton’s wish that her personal medical information remain private. At the same time, he made it clear that the Princess of Wales would not return to public duties before Easter.

However, the sudden announcement of the operation, the little known details about her health and her complete absence from the public sphere caused concern among the British and poured water into the mill of misinformation.

The release last week of the altered photo of the Princess of Wales posing with her children added fuel to the fire.

The largest news agencies, such as Reuters and the Associated Press, issued a relevant “kill notice”, informing their subscribers that the smiling photo of the Princess of Wales is being removed because it is a product of editing.

Kate Middleton apologized but her apology was not enough and not unfairly, since the photo was obviously intended to shut up the mouths but, in the end, all it managed to do was make them… talk even more. It went from a PR product to a Buckingham fiasco, as the palace completely lost its credibility and, at the same time, failed to prove what Queen Elizabeth had once said, namely that “the members of the royal family must be seen for to be believed”.

But in the age of Social Media, AI and deepfakes, perhaps something more is needed since appearance can now be easily determined through technology but being is still a matter of truth.