Newly surfaced visuals, purportedly featuring the Princess of Wales at a farmer’s market, have not entirely dispelled the uncertainties surrounding Kate Middleton’s whereabouts, which have been the subject of speculation for weeks on social media.
A photograph and video, released by the British tabloid The Sun, depict a couple strolling at a market in Windsor – supposedly Kate Middleton and her husband Prince William.
“I didn’t feel like they were hiding who they were. But they didn’t quite know how people would react because there has been this build-up about their whereabouts and I got the sense they just wanted to be swift in there,” Nelson Silva, who captured the video, told the Sun.
“Kate looked happy and relaxed. They look happy just to be able to go to a shop and mingle. Kate looked relieved like it was a success going to a shop. It felt natural,” he added.
Another publication, The Daily Mail, commended an “image that will silence the conspiracy theorists and suggested it would reassure fans that she is making a good recovery from her abdominal surgery.
These new visuals emerge merely a week after controversy surrounding the Palace’s release of edited photos of Kate. Following claims by several news agencies that the image was manipulated, a kill order was issued for the image.
Kate Middleton, aged 42, has not been publicly seen since undergoing abdominal surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition on January 16.
Apart from a few indistinct photographs, she has remained out of sight, prompting social media to speculate about her health, resulting in widespread headlines and rumors.
Rather than allaying concerns about her health, the edited picture released by Kensington Palace fueled further speculation, leading media outlets to retract the image with a kill notice.
Kate apologized for the situation but faced criticism, even from typically supportive media outlets.
The recent video from the farmer’s market has also stirred debate on social media, with observant viewers pointing out various issues with the media coverage. Some remarked that the photo appeared excessively grainy in an era when every phone boasts 4k or HD resolution.