A royal fan on social media believes they’ve figured out how Kate Middleton’s now-viral post-surgery family photo was edited.
Ruby Naldrett, who works in social media at UK tabloid the Daily Mirror, shared her theory via X on Monday, claiming the image was manipulated using a pic from Middleton’s 2016 Vogue photoshoot.
“my analysis of the kate middleton photo saga is that they took her face from the vogue cover she did years ago and edited it in,” Naldrett explained in her now-viral tweet, which has been viewed more than three million times in just a few hours.
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She shared the Vogue cover pic – which was shot eight years ago – side-by-side with the new family photo, released by Kensington Palace Sunday in honor of Mother’s Day in the UK.
“That’s why her hair is blurry and translucent from them enhancing where the hat flattened it,” one Twitter user theorized in the response section, referencing the fact that the mother of three was wearing a wide-brim hat for the magazine cover shoot.
Others, however, were skeptical of the theory.
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“It’s nothing alike. It’s just the same face with the same smile, because it’s the same person. Otherwise it’s not remotely similar,” one person argued, with another chiming in to say, “This is ‘spot on’….because it’s the same woman’s face.”
Earlier in the day, Middleton issued an apology for the snap’s numerous Photoshop errors that led to multiple photo agencies, including the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Getty Images, issuing a “kill notice” to media outlets to remove the image immediately.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” she wrote on X from the official Prince and Princess of Wales page.
“I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
The photo in question showed the Princess of Wales sitting in a chair at Windsor Castle surrounded by her three kids: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice numerous Photoshop fails, including Charlotte’s sleeve disappearing in a blur and an overall “AI-like” appearance.
It marked the first official photograph released by the palace since Middleton underwent an abdominal surgery in January.
Although the royal family explained in a statement that Middleton had a lengthy recovery period ahead of her – and wouldn’t be returning to public duties until April – many started to theorize about why she hadn’t been seen in months.
Last week, a grainy paparazzi photo that showed Middleton and her mom, Carole, driving in a car near Windsor Castle was released, which only added fuel to the rumor mill.
She was then spotted Monday afternoon in the backseat of a chauffeured car with her husband, Prince William, though her face wasn’t visible.
Middleton’s last public outing was on Dec. 25, 2023, when she stepped out with her family for a Christmas Day church service.
She underwent the “planned abdominal surgery” on Jan. 16, 2024. “The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
