Prince William and Kate Middleton’s start to 2024 has not been great. The Princess of Wales underwent surgery in mid-January, and not long after, King Charles began his cancer treatment after doctors found it during his enlarged prostate treatment.

While William took on a lot of responsibility for their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, he simultaneously juggled his royal duties. However, as the date when Kate could be back on royal duty approaches, one of the most significant setbacks of their joint royal life has arrived.

With the recent picture mishap, where Kate had edited the Mother’s Day photo of herself and her children, news agencies dropped the picture because it appeared to have been manipulated. Still, to this day, royal fans haven’t gotten any information about how she is actually doing besides some minor updates, and the fact that she isn’t showing herself in public—or even posting a new picture—has many worried. 

While King Charles hoped that William and Harry’s feud would end, making the rest of his life a little easier, a royal expert now claims that the Prince and Princess of Wales have put him in an even worse situation.

After Christmas, about nine months after King Charles officially was crowned king at his May coronation in Westminister Abbey, it appeared that the royal family was on its way to move into a new era. King Charles and Queen Camilla – who have not only been accepted by the public but also very much liked – have taken the reign after the late Queen Elizabeth. At the same time, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s popularity has continued to grow.

Kate Middleton – mystery about her health status

Meanwhile, their children are growing fast, and the royal line of succession is secured for a long time. Also, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s attacks on the royal family ended, and as everyone screamed “Happy New Year” a few months ago, everything seemed OK.

But at this point, we know things changed quickly. In mid-January, royal fans worldwide were left in shock as Kate Middleton underwent what Kensington Palace stated was a “planned abdominal surgery” and was to be out from royal duty until after Easter. At the same time, the Princess of Wales decided not to disclose any details about her medical condition, which she is entitled to but wasn’t quite as appreciated by royal fans and experts.

Further, King Charles went through enlarged prostate treatment – and doctors found that he had cancer. Luckily, it was announced that it was found in an early stage, and the monarch will hopefully be back to full speed in a while.

As Easter approaches, many believed the world would soon see Kate Middleton back on royal duty. However, only a few minor updates have been made to Kate’s health since she underwent abdominal surgery.

The American tabloid TMZ published the first picture taken of Kate before Christmas some weeks ago, but Kensington Palace stayed quiet. But on Mother’s Day, March 10, it finally arrived.

On Prince William and Kate Middleton’s official Instagram account, a picture of Kate and Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Louis was published as Kate wished everyone a happy Mother’s Day. Fans were overjoyed to see Kate doing well – but only hours later, everything changed.

Kate Middleton – manipulated photo

Social media users began investigating the picture, and it was soon apparent that it had significant issues. The editing could have been better done, and it was evident that something needed to be fixed. Some parts appeared to have been manipulated, including Princess Charlotte’s jumper and Kate Middleton’s right hand, which also missed a wedding ring.

News agencies, including the Associated Press and Getty, issued a “kill notice,” an advisory notice to remove or not use a specific photo.

“It appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the Associated Press notification read.

AP also released a statement, saying, “The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”

Kate Middleton now finds herself in the middle of a massive storm. Conspiracy theories had already begun spreading in February about her health, where she was, and why Kensington Palace stayed quiet. The picture could’ve shut down it all, but now, things are getting ugly.

There are more conspiracy theories about what is going on than ever, and Kate Middleton is being accused of not telling the truth. It’s important to remember that we don’t exactly know what is going on or how much Kate Middleton really has to do with it.

Kate Middleton issued apology – royal expert says palace is to blame

However, we do know that the Princess of Wales decided to apologize for the picture, saying that she edited it and posted it to her and her husband’s official accounts.

“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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C,” Kate Middleton wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Fans and experts have different opinions about whether Kate is to blame for this royal mess. Previously, many have called for the palace to release new pictures of her to end all speculations. Meanwhile, as the picture mishap has grown into an international news story, no picture has yet been released, and even more wonder—and worry—what is going on with Kate.

Several royal experts have argued that Kate needs to take responsibility for her actions. At the same time, royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox that the palace is responsible for what she calls “yet another public relations disaster.”