The British monarchy remains mired in a worrying crisis of public confidence following controversy over an edited photograph of the princess. Welshtwo months after his mysterious “abdominal surgery” that sparked all sorts of media speculation.

Princes William and Catherine of Wales (known as Kate Middleton), two of this country’s most beloved royals, have been in the spotlight in recent days after a difficult week for the institution.

The Financial Times (FT) recalls today that since the princess was hospitalized in January and removed from public life, Speculation varied, giving rise to all sorts of theories.This is “from a coma to a facelift or divorce,” among other things.

This newspaper also raises another interesting debate, which it calls “Kate Gate“, which surrounds the reconciliation of his public and private roles: “Exposure is what has sustained the monarchy for centuries. If someone disappears for too long, citizens take revenge,” he notes.

He also notes that Catalina’s paradox is that she “suffers in part from her popularity” and believes that her “obsession with her personal life” may be due to the fact that the number of members active in the institution has “accidentally” increased . reduced with the cancellation of William’s obligations to care for his children, after the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to California (USA) and Prince Andrew’s stay in disgrace.

Although the media tsunami in the United Kingdom has subsided, Charles III’s first-born son and his wife are still under scrutiny for the way they handled the spread of information about March 10 – Mother’s Day in this country – on their social media accounts. an image of Catalina and her three children, which she later admitted she had retouched.

Several international graphics agencies made the unusual decision to remove the photo from their services when they realized it had been manipulated, forcing the princess to publicly admit that she edited it herself, “experimenting as an amateur photographer,” and apologize for it. .

Given the uncertainty surrounding Catalina’s health following her surgery on January 16, the photo of her sitting with her children and smiling generated great public anticipation.

In the photo you can see small inconsistencies in the line of Princess Charlotte’s fist, the print on Louis’ sweater and other blurred outlines.

“Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with (photo) editing from time to time,” Catalina wrote on X, expressing her apologies “for any confusion” the incident may have caused.

Damage to the authority of the royal family

While the family has tried to downplay the significance of these retouches – likely done using editing programs or using a mobile phone – by emphasizing the informality of the image, for many experts the incident undermines trust in the royals and their messages.

The episode, which was reported in media around the world, also takes on particular relevance at a time when speculation continues about the nature of Catalina’s disease, about which absolutely nothing is known except that it is cancer and will keep her away. from their obligations until Easter.

King Charles III, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, and Camilla, whose press office differs from that of the Princes of Wales, have stayed away from the controversy.

Controversial British host Piers Morgan took to his YouTube channel this week to ask whether the royal family was “hiding something” and suggested – although did not confirm – that he had heard “disturbing” rumors related to the princess.

“I have been told things that, even if only half of them were true, what is happening is quite alarming. I don’t know what to believe, and none of us know. “We’re not there,” he commented.

Since the photo was published, local media have closely monitored the movements of members of the royal family and documented how Prince William and Catherine left their residence in Windsor (about 40 kilometers from London) together on Monday by car. .

According to the palace, William was heading to a religious service at Westminster Abbey in London to mark Commonwealth Day, while his wife, who was already known not to attend, was heading to a private meeting. EFE