Conspiracy theorists have taken to social media to cast doubt on a photo showing the Princess of Wales smiling during a shopping trip over the weekend.
An ‘incredibly happy’ Princess Catherine was seen in public on Saturday as she joined her husband for a trip to their local farm shop in Windsor.
An image from the visit showed the mother-of-three in good spirits, and appearing healthy and relaxed, as she chatted with Prince William on the return to their car.
The news will have reassured fans of the couple that Kate is recovering well from her abdominal surgery in January, which has left her unable to carry out public engagements.
It comes after wild social media speculation and gossip about Kate’s health and whereabouts, which is understood to have left the couple deeply upset.
However, the furore shows no signs of abating among some, as some cynics took to social media to denounce the images as fake, accusing them of showing a body double, a different woman or having been altered by AI.
Some sceptical social media users have accused the image of being doctored or generated using AI. Pictured: An image of Kate created by AI
Others have accused the woman in the photo of being a body double for the Princess of Wales. Pictured: Heidi Agan, a Kate Middleton lookalike
Others have suggested that neither Prince William or Kate are in the photo. Pictured: Wax figures of the Waleses in the Hong Kong Madame Tussauds
One person calling themselves The Mirror Of Truth on X claimed the person in the photo was not Princess Catherine, but someone else entirely.
They wrote: ‘Take a closer look at the photo and you’ll understand that it’s not Kate, she has completely different cheekbones and a whole face…’
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu said: ‘Wait….who the hell is that with Prince William? Are you all thinking what I’m thinking or do I need to go to Specsavers?’
One user going by the name Jesus Girl Jen added: ‘Omggg. That doesn’t look like either one of them.’
Others cast doubts on the legitimacy of the image in question, with one X user called Dick The Stick writing: ‘I’ve seen clearer photos of UFOs.’
A user called James (UnfilteredTruth) added: ‘AI generated image, and not even a good one. This cover-up gets more embarrassing, and concerning in equal measure.’
Meanwhile, a user called Shield Maiden Io insisted it wasn’t Kate in the photo, writing: ‘That isn’t her. Higher cheek bones, different eyes, different smile, different walk, slimmer build. Carrying bag after abdo surgery. Body double.’
However, there was push back against the doubters from royal fans, who insisted the photo was genuine and was a sign of Kate’s recovery following her surgery.
The couple were spotted visiting the Windsor Farm Shop (pictured), which is close to their home in Berkshire
Some cynical social media users voiced their doubts about the image on social media, denouncing it as fake or doctored
Molly Elizabeth wrote: ‘If you really don’t think this is Kate then you need to go to Specsavers … and probably go touch some grass.’
RoyallyBelle said: ‘That’s the Princess of Wales alright! Kate is BACK.’
Kayla Adams added: ‘I don’t usually post photos that are taken outside public events, but here you go ladies and gentlemen. The Prince and Princess of Wales out at a local farm shop near their home as reported this weekend. Can the Kate Middleton conspiracies settle down please.’
Saad wrote: ‘Kate is absolutely insane because how can you go through a major surgery, have the most vile rumours and conspiracy theories circulated about you, get attacked and harassed by armchair critics and still come out looking so gorgeous and unbothered.’
Another person added: ‘Honestly Kate could walk up to some of these idiots, slap them around the face, tell them she is Princess Kate… and they still would say she’s a lookalike, or a clone, or whatever batshit crazy conspiracy they’ve concocted! She’s out and about, looking happy and healthy… time to stop the madness!’
Kensington Palace has not commented on the photo where Kate is seen striding from the Windsor Farm Shop – much loved by the couple and set up by William’s late grandfather Prince Philip – while carrying a substantial shopping bag on Saturday afternoon.
The future queen looked well and was sportily-dressed, wearing a hooded top, gym leggings, sports socks and trainers.
She was seen smiling as she spoke to the Prince of Wales, who appeared to be equally happy to be out and about with his wife in the spring sunshine. William was also casual in a baseball cap, casual coat, jeans and trainers.
Royal fans were left delighted after seeing Kate in public and with the future Queen appearing in good health and spirits
The couple had gone there for supplies having reportedly spent the morning watching their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five, play sport.
The snap was taken at 12.43pm on Saturday by a member of the public who was also at the farm shop, just a mile’s drive from the Wales’ Adelaide Cottage home, on their Apple iPhone 12 Pro phone.
The person concerned said they were visiting the shop to ‘kill time’ while on the way to meet someone to buy an item from Facebook when they recognised William and Kate and were struck by how ‘happy’ they looked.
They spotted the couple again in the car park and decided to capture the moment to share with their own delighted family.
‘When I went inside I looked around and noticed them. They all looked happy,’ the person, who wishes to remain anonymous, said.
‘To be honest I don’t follow this type of news but I shared [it] with my family – they were like ‘oh, she’s alive!’ ‘
It also shatters cruel conspiracy theories being shared on social media, the onlooker said.
Body language expert Judi James said tonight that Kate’s behaviour was ‘quite extraordinary’.
She told : ‘It is completely stunning to see the most sought-after woman in the world and the subject of speculation and rumours on social media suddenly appearing like this looking not just healthy, full of energy and incredibly happy but also making no apparent attempt to hide while out in public.
‘Kate walks ahead of William here, taking large enough strides to suggest no hint of any ongoing frailty. While William keeps his face partially hidden under his cap and his head lowered, Kate’s body language here suggests a desire to be seen.
‘Her head is up and her long hair is billowing while she wears a cheek-rounded smile that seems to signal she is completely upbeat and cheerful.
‘This is quite extraordinary body language behaviour for a leading royal out “incognito” in public and it suggests a point is, quite naturally, being made in terms of reassuring fans and quashing all the toxic rumours.’
The Princess of Wales was seen with her husband during a shopping trip at the weekend. Pictured: The Waleses at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London in 2019
The sighting at the Windsor shop is an encouraging sign that Kate is taking her first steps towards a return to official royal engagements
William and Kate were spotted leaving Windsor for Westminster Abbey to attend The Commonwealth Day Service last Monday. She has now been seen four times in a fortnight
Biographer Phil Dampier told that many will be delighted to see Kate is now well enough to leave home.
He said: ‘It’s great that Kate has been seen in public and is obviously on the mend.
‘Lots of people will be relived that she is well enough to go to the farm shop and I expect she will soon be taking her kids to school or out and about during holidays.
‘Like anyone who has been convalescing for a long time after an operation she will be getting bored and would naturally want to resume normal life’.
Kate has now been spotted out and about four times in two weeks when Kensington Palace maintained that she would not be seen in public before Easter after abdominal surgery in January.
It has been reported that she may even return to royal duties by walking to church on Easter Sunday.
The Princess, who made her last public engagement at Sandringham on Christmas Day, is widely expected to return to public duty full time after April 17, when her children start back at Lambrook School, near Ascot, following the Easter Holidays.
There are also claims by some experts that Kensington Palace may soon release a statement updating the public on her health.
The reports of an early return and her Windsor sighting come just a few days after the Princess was pictured in the back of a car alongside Prince William as they left Windsor Castle last Monday.
The Prince of Wales was on his way to Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service while understands Kate was headed to a ‘private appointment’.
In recent weeks wild rumours – fuelled by social media and the foreign press – have speculated over the reason why Kate has not been seen, despite the Kensington Palace’s laying out her recovery timeline.
Over the weekend, a source close to the Wales’ said that the couple will disclose more information about Kate’s illness and recovery in due course.
‘In Kate’s case, there is almost nobody else in the world whose face, body, clothes are more judged than hers,’ the insider told The Sunday Times.
‘What is happening is exactly what they said would happen — she would spend two weeks in hospital and be back after Easter. So what if they haven’t pushed her out there to wave from the back of a car? She is not a show pony.’
A friend said the couple are fully aware about the circulating rumours but claimed: ‘They’re not like [Prince] Harry, obsessing and scrolling through Twitter, but they know it has broken through.
‘They follow the news and see the BBC breaking news alerts’.
Her Mother’s Day portrait was edited by the Princess of Wales to make the perfect family shot. But conspiracy theorists have used it to question everything about Kate’s health
The couple are said to have visited the farm having watched their their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five – take part in sports. Pictured: Kate with Louis and Charlotte in May 2023
Kate was admitted to the London Clinic – the private hospital where the King underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate – for planned abdominal surgery.
She left the hospital on January 29 – almost two weeks later – and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.
Details of her condition have not been revealed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that the Princess wished her personal medical information to remain private.
Another friend said: ‘She and William are at their most open when out interacting with the public. I can see a world in which the Princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements.
‘If she was going to do it, that’s how she would do it. They appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays.’
Kensington Palace has maintained that Kate is ‘doing well’ and will only provide significant updates.