The Royals have completely lost control of the narrative

It is one controversy more appropriate to a Real Housewife rather than a royal princess. On Monday, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, posted a personal message – via Kensington Royal's social pages – apologizing for any “confusion” caused by a Mother's Day photo. (In the UK, Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday in March.) “Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to apologize for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday,” the Position reading. “I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. DO.”

What happened? The Photo it seemed harmless at first — kids dressed like Ralph Lauren models and Middleton's 1000 teeth flashing at us. But very quickly, observers noticed a whole host of inconsistencies: a fuzzy and crooked cuff near Princess Charlotte's wrist, oddly proportioned legs, missing highlights, a plant that perhaps shouldn't be in bloom, a missing wedding ring, crossed fingers and even a face to be seen unusually like past photos of Middleton. The list goes on.

It all sounded like tinfoil conspiracy theory. But then, four Mr The image agencies — Getty Images, AFP, Reuters and the Associated Press — pulled the photo, with a dramatic “kill alert” suggesting the photo had been doctored. Suddenly, the story led the news cycle. The photo — which we're honestly supposed to believe was taken by Prince Willam, even though “amateur photographer” Middleton claimed responsibility for it — was meant to put to bed weeks of suspicion (and memes) surrounding Middleton's royal absence . But it did the exact opposite.

The chatter surrounding the princess' prolonged recovery from an unspecified abdominal operation reached comical levels last week, as it escalated from rumors and speculation to full-blown conspiracies. She was the Princess of Wales makes her BBL debut (“Brazilian butt lift”) while I shift as “the stranger” the condemned Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience? That's what the memes on my social media feed would have you believe at some point. (You had to be there, I promise.)

On a more serious note, others have suspected that the royal wedding is on the rocks amid the pressure of King Charles' cancer diagnosis. And even more sinister, some have claimed (without any evidence, apparently) that Kate is dead and has been replaced by a body double. (I don't think anyone actually believes that, but the Internet is a strange place.)

The hysterical and conspiratorial reaction to Middleton's absence from public life—for medical reasons, mind you—is telling. I was speechless when I saw a royal—people who believe they are above their subjects because of their divine God-given rights—release an apology on social media for some clumsy photoshop. The sheer outrage of it, from people who have long considered themselves above “celebrity” and PR Instagram apologies that mere mortals post when they mess up. I could feel Queen Elizabeth II turning in her grave as they abandoned the PR strategy she strictly followed for her 70-year reign: “Never complain, never explain.”

The death of Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-serving monarch, feels connected to the reaction we're seeing. “Liz died and the royals lost all their mystery” was posted British author Jason Okundaye on Monday. I believe that he is right. In “Ruritania,” the sixth episode of its final season The crown — we saw a fictionalized version of the late queen, played by Imelda Staunton, struggle with the idea of ​​modernization. Against the instincts of then-prime minister Tony Blair, he rejected the idea that royals should be more “relatable” to the public. “People don't want to come to a royal palace and get what they could have at home,” he said. “They want the magic and the mystery.” Elizabeth maintained that providing this mystery was an essential part of their duty, but in recent years she began to waver.

Even before Queen Elizabeth died, the Sussexes' revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey had drawn the curtain on The Firm like never before, including disturbing allegations of racism and tabloid collusion. This followed the humiliating BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew in 2019, which resulted in a civil sexual assault case, which arranged in 2022. Shortly after the Queen's death, Prince Harry released his autobiography – with stories of him rubbing Elizabeth Arden cream on his penis and losing his virginity in a field. Just last week, Gary Goldsmith — Middleton's “relaxed rule” uncle that he was convicted of assault his fourth wife in 2017 — appeared in the UK edition Celebrity Big Brother, where he leaked further details about Middleton and her husband, her mother Carol, and angrily called out the Sussexes. I wonder if these conspiracy theories about Middleton — and how invested people are in the idea that all is not as it seems here — are really a yearning for the mystery that gets lost in all this public mudslinging.

The royal establishment has backed itself into a corner here. When Middleton joined the royal family, she became its highest “commoner”. (The Middletons are a very wealthy family, but until the princess married Prince William, they had no place in the British aristocracy.) The sympathetic British press would miss Middleton as she wore designer brands such as Zara and — shock horror — she was wearing clothes more than once. How relatable!

Other times we keep our distance. Reacting to the furore over Middleton's whereabouts earlier this month, Kensington Palace responded sharply: “We were very clear from the start that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only provide updates when something it was important.” (Serious British translation? “Shut up the peasants!”) Kings want to be “kin” when it suits them, but they also want to be out of control at other times. The incongruous mix of “relative rights” and the sudden re-emergence of long-held, strict protocols is a gray area where the lines of privacy and transparency are blurred.

What is clear, however, is that the royal institution is still struggling to adapt to the dynamics of the social media landscape. This rage reminds me of the Prince and Princess of Wales tour-slavery-reparations-royals” rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank”>destructive tour of the Caribbean in 2022. The duo were seen being carried around on thrones and were also photographed greeting children behind a cage-like metal fence. In the past, they would have released favorable images to the press, who would have them alongside almost libelous coverage. But now, everyone has a phone and a platform to review and enhance less-than-flattering images.

The same thing happened with this Mother's Day photo – the one we're supposed to think Middleton was on her laptop editing herself after it was taken by Prince William, her beloved husband, who she definitely still talks to . (If it really was Middleton, I hope she takes the word “Photoshop savvy” off her resume — and if it was William, kudos for being the first straight man to take such a well-composed family photo.) No matter who took and edited the photo, it is notable that four non-UK agencies were the first to reject it, while the British press published the photo without questioning it. It was only when the image was accused of manipulation by the above agencies that it became a controversy that they could not avoid covering.

All of this may seem silly, but the mob-like mentality surrounding Middleton's whereabouts speaks to a wider disconnect and mistrust between the royals and their subjects. Not everyone agreed with Queen Elizabeth II, but rightly or wrongly there was an undercurrent of trust, built over decades. Many people who were anti-monarchist respected her recklessly — even if they only realize it now that she's gone. With King Charles still young on the throne and now diagnosed with cancer and the younger generation unable to hold a simple photo shoot without creating an international incident, this mess highlights their vulnerability. Elizabeth's reverence does not yet apply to future generations – and they are lucky that, for now, this scandal is kept fairly low-key.

What should worry the royals is that the British press is clearly tired of their outlandish antics and explanations. It was understood paparazzi photos of the princess would not be printed while Middleton recovered from surgery. But on Monday, several outlets published a grainy profile shot of the princess in a car, next to her husband. The photo is unlikely to appease the most fervent “Where's Kate?” plausible, but it feels like a warning — a symbol of how much this situation has strained the institution's relationship with the media it depends on for survival.

Watching this all unfold, I couldn't help but think of what Middleton is like the media's strongest defenders would react if Meghan Markle were in that position. If there is any truth to allegations that royal representatives, including those acting on behalf of the Prince and Princess of Wales, colluded with the press to smear the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, then they may live to regret tacitly approving a such intense surveillance and invasions of privacy. After a few short weeks of experiencing something even vaguely similar, Kensington Palace's media operation has become an international laughing stock.

Perhaps this controversy is overblown. But a public apology — personally signed by a royal, no less — is all too rare. It's a sign that they've completely lost control of the narrative. Clearly, the future king and queen are tested by their subjects. It's similar to how students might mistake a substitute teacher for who they are technically responsible, but not yet recognized as an authority. And if they're not careful, they may never be.