Amidst mounting pressure for Buckingham Palace to offer a modicum of transparency about what’s actually going on with Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued a statement of their own regarding the ongoing photoshopping scandal. (Proof that if the royals wanted to comment on something, they would!)
Overnight, the Montecito-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a short expression of clarity, rebuffing previous claims from an anonymous source that American tabloids alleged to have come directly from their camp.
Earlier this week, Page Six published quotes from a supposed insider with intel commenting on Markle’s views about the badly doctored Mother’s Day photo released by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The story included excerpts from this reputed source, including, “This isn’t a mistake Meghan would ever make”, and, “If Harry and Meghan had ever encountered the same issue they would have been annihilated.”
Now, days after the story was sent live to the internet, the Sussexes have employed a representative to directly address the controversy. Indeed, a spokesperson for Archewell Foundation—Prince Harry and Markle’s charity venture that experienced a donation loss of eight figures in 2023—has spoken out to deny this was ever said. “With respect…that did not come from us,” the mouthpiece said on record.
Aside from the statement of apology claimed to be written by Kate Middleton, Buckingham Palace has refrained from touching on the subject matter of the Princess’ “disappearance” altogether.
The scandal transpired after Middleton underwent “planned abdominal surgery” in January this year—a procedure she was hospitalised for. Royalists noticed apparent differences in the treatment of Middleton versus other senior members of The Firm—including the fact she did not get a formal cavalcade to the hospital—causing ludicrous theories to emerge regarding her safety and whereabouts.
After much speculation and discourse, a woman claiming to be Kate Middleton was seen driving through the grounds of Windsor Castle in an attempt to placate the bedlam that was erupting on social media. This only fuelled the fire further, prompting Wales to release a Mother’s Day photo—one that was heavily photoshopped and eventually killed by photo agencies.
Read Kate Middleton’s “apology” over photoshopping her 2024 Mother’s Day photo below:
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
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024
Prior to the palaver, Buckingham Palace declared that Middleton would be returning to civic duties after the Easter weekend. With that as the public’s deadline, they have until then to concoct an explanation for what’s gone down these past two months. Especially now that members of the royal family who stepped down over lack of privacy have addressed the situation.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.