TMZ, metadata, and wild speculation about a missing royal are rarely used in the same breath. But here we are in the midst of KateGate. Avid fans of the royal family and anti-royalists alike have sent the virtual airwaves on fire with speculation following Kate Middleton’s, the Princess of Wales, 70-day disappearance from the public eye following abdominal surgery. Usually, royal gossip is not at the top of my daily reading, but as with every great conspiracy, the plot thickens.
Screenshot of the Associated Press’s “photo kill” call on the photo of the Princess of Wales that was found to be digitally altered. Image via AP Website
KateFake, What Happened?
The Intersection of conspiracy theorists and your friendly neighborhood Technocat came in the form of what initially appeared to be an innocuous Mother’s Day picture. Princess Catherine, pictured with her children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, was all smiles. But even at a glance, things seemed … off. It was a striking picture—too bad it was not real.
