Princess Kate photoshop theory goes viral: Has an 8-year-old Vogue cover been repurposed?

Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales has been absent from royal duties since December following major surgery. Photo / AP

One day after Princess Kate apologised for causing any “confusion” with her photo editing, a social media editor’s theory about the origin of the picture has gone viral.

The photograph, which was released to celebrate Mother’s Day in the UK, came under intense scrutiny this week after it was quickly “killed” by five of the world’s top photo agencies, including Getty, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Shutterstock and Reuters, following concerns the image had been altered.

Despite Kensington Palace staying firm on their stance they will not release the original unedited photo, Kate issued a statement apologising for “experimenting with editing”. Now, amid a slew of theories about why the photo was edited in the first place, a theory from a senior editor at the Daily Mirror and Daily Star has started gaining traction.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Ruby Naldrett shared a video along with the caption: “My analysis of the Kate Middleton photo saga is that they took her face from the Vogue cover she did years ago and edited it in.”

my analysis of the kate middleton photo saga is that they took her face from the vogue cover she did years ago and edited it in pic.twitter.com/JLXts08zp5

— Ruby Naldrett (@rubynaldrett) March 11, 2024

The clip, which has been viewed more than 25 million times and has received more than 130,000 likes, was a hit with many social media users who agreed it was the same photo. However, some weren’t convinced.

One person said: “This is ‘spot on’ … because it’s the same woman’s face,” another said “Wait … are you saying a photo of Kate Middleton looks like another photo of Kate Middleton? I have no words to describe my shock at this revelation.”

The theory comes after the princess was photographed leaving Windsor Castle in the back of a car with her husband Prince William following the editing revelation.

William, 41, can be seen in the photo looking down toward the floor, while Kate is seen looking away from the camera out of the car window. A UK news outlet reported the princess was on her way to a private appointment.

Kate Middleton spotted leaving Windsor Castle with William is an attempt by the Palace 'to show that she's up and about', experts say as royals grapple with fallout from Photoshop fiasco https://t.co/4n3pbWgR26 pic.twitter.com/kCZyCtUHMv

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 11, 2024

Kate’s absence from royal duties this year has caused rife speculation about her current health status, with one Spanish journalist even claiming a major unexpected complication occurred during her surgery. However, the Palace maintains the princess is “doing well” and slammed conspiracy theories.

Speaking to the Sun, royal aides said: “We’ve seen the madness of social media and that is not going to change our strategy. There has been much on social media but the princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that.”