A first photo of Princess Kate since her hospitalization and unconfirmed return to royal duties in June failed to allay questions about her health in the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
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The Ministry of Defense announced his presence on June 8 at one of the Trooping the Color parades to mark the king's official birthday. Kensington Palace, which normally publishes the plans of the princess and her husband Prince William, has not confirmed this.
Last week, Prince William made a last-minute decision to attend a ceremony in memory of his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, for “personal reasons.” This unusual withdrawal has fueled fanciful accusations and real concerns on social networks, as the 42-year-old princess has been absent for more than two months.
A photo published on Monday evening by American celebrity media outlets TMZ and Entertainment Tonight shows the princess, her face obscured by dark glasses, in the passenger seat of a car driven by her mother near Windsor Castle, where she lives with Prince William and their three children.
The British press, which adores the Princess of Wales and the couple she forms with William, did not publish the photo because Kensington Palace had asked that her privacy be respected during Kate's recovery.
But “there are already conspiracy theories suggesting that the photo was manipulated (…) instead of putting an end to the rumors, this photo – which was clearly unauthorized – sparked even more speculation,” says Joe Little, editor of the AFP -Head of Majesty Magazine.
On January 17, the palace announced that the Princess of Wales had undergone “scheduled” abdominal surgery at the London Clinic and would recover until at least Easter on March 31.
His last public appearance was at the royal family's Christmas mass at Sandringham.
No details about his operation were released, raising questions.
“Tricky question”
Before Monday's photo, on TikTok or Others are more seriously questioning the true nature of the princess's absence, even going so far as to retrace her recent appearances or question the evolution of her body.
Last weekend, Kensington Palace tried to calm the situation by addressing the media: “We made it clear at the beginning of January that the Princess of Wales planned to withdraw from public appearances until after Easter and nothing has changed changed.”
The rumors show how difficult it is to keep the royal family's health problems confidential, as was the case during Queen Elizabeth II's reign. “It’s a sensitive issue,” says Joe Little, because the issue has “immense public interest.”
The tireless discretion that Kate and William maintain stands in contrast to Buckingham Palace's communication about the cancer of King Charles III, who was seen again in a photo on Tuesday when he received British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt.
The king first made public his surgery for benign prostate enlargement in January and then his cancer diagnosis, which was discovered during that surgical procedure.
“Buckingham Palace was transparent to a certain extent: it was quite unusual that they were warned before the king was even admitted to hospital (…) but they did not say what type of cancer had struck the king or at what stage.” He was, however, Mr. Little qualified.