1 month ago
Last Updated: March 15, 2024, 09:08 IST
London, United Kingdom (UK)
The Prince and Princess of Wales during a walkabout meeting members of the public on the Long Walk near Windsor Castle, Berkshire. This is a representative image. (Image: Reuters File)
Prince of Wales praises Kate Middleton while decorating cookies with children. Middleton faces backlash over edited Mother's Day photo on Instagram
Britain’s Prince of Wales has lauded his wife Kate Middleton’s artistic talents while interacting with children at a public event on Thursday. At the opening of the WEST Youth Zone in West London, Prince William was praised for his cookie-decorating skills. Shrugging off the compliment, he said, “It’s really not impressive work. My wife is the arty one.”
Speaking of their children, he added, “They are artier than I am.” This light-hearted exchange, reported by Page Six, came amid public speculation ignited by a controversial photo posted by Kate on social media. The picture was meant to douse speculation about the whereabouts and health of Britain’s Catherine but instead her manipulated image unleashed a barrage of rumours and conspiracy theories.
‘Katespiracy’
The storm in the UK royal family erupted after Kate on Monday apologised and admitted to editing a palace-issued photograph of herself with her three children after the altered image was withdrawn by news agencies. The fiasco gave way to a fresh swirl of speculation about the British royal, dubbed online as “Katespiracy”.
The internet guessing game had already begun after the princess was not seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service and underwent abdominal surgery in January. Amid a vacuum of information, online posts speculated whether her marriage to William, heir to the British throne, was on the rocks. Others pondered whether Kate was recovering from an eating disorder or the cosmetic procedure known as a Brazilian butt lift.
Proof of life landed on Sunday when the palace released a photograph they said was recently snapped by William, but eagle-eyed social media users began tearing it apart for inconsistencies, such as a misaligned zipper on Kate’s jacket. The inconsistencies were so clear that several global news agencies pulled the picture from publication. Then the rumor mill began spinning even faster after the princess declared in a statement that she had edited the photograph.
(With agency inputs)
