It’s hilarious to me that the Mother’s Day Photo Fiasco has so many moving parts and so many confusing side-stories. The biggest issue, arguably, is that the Frankenphoto was cobbled together, likely using much older pics, none of which were taken by Prince William, and that the Frankenphoto was so egregious that six news outlets killed the pic from their archives. But as that controversy rages on, a surprising number of people are pointing out something very interesting: whoever created the Frankenphoto clearly wanted to send a message by having “Kate” without her wedding band or Big Blue. Multiple royalists have complained about that alone: if you’re touching up a proof-of-life photo, why not add Kate’s rings? Unless that’s the point. Now the ring issue, combined with Stephen Colbert’s segment on Prince William’s alleged affair with Rose Hanbury, has led to this very interesting exclusive in the Daily Beast:
Speculation over the health of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage, triggered by the absence of a wedding band on Kate’s ring finger in her notorious Mother’s Day photograph, has been thrust firmly back into the mainstream after Stephen Colbert trolled Prince William in his monologue Tuesday with rumors of an affair. Colbert astonished audiences Tuesday night by referring to an affair William is widely alleged to have had with his neighbor, Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. The palace has repeatedly denied an affair ever took place.
A former royal staffer told The Daily Beast that Colbert’s comments would be “deeply annoying” as William and Kate’s office at Kensington Palace desperately tries to course correct after a tumultuous few days of headlines. The former courtier, who worked with William and Kate when employed at the palace, said, “It’s deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace, but it’s not surprising that the affair rumors are being reheated. What else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing her wedding ring?”
Another source, who is a friend of Kate and William’s, said that they and their friend group were “completely baffled” as to why Kate put out a picture which showed her without a wedding band when it seemed “guaranteed to get people asking questions about the state of the marriage.”
The friend said: “They are often seen together at school events, and really it is remarkable how one and often both of them will always be at every match, every music concert and every prize giving. The relationship has always seemed incredibly strong despite the immense pressure they are under, so it’s fair to say we were all completely baffled when the picture came out with the wedding ring missing, especially as it was photoshopped. It just seemed guaranteed to get people asking questions about the state of the marriage.”
The affair rumors go back to 2019 when The Daily Beast reported on palace lawyers’ attempts to suppress reporting of the alleged affair by issuing stern legal notices to British publications, cautioning them not to write about the rumors. At the time, official sources in Kensington Palace told The Daily Beast that the allegations were “totally wrong and false.” Royal law firm Harbottle and Lewis issued letters to the British media stating that the stories were “false and highly damaging.” British newspapers instead reported that there had been a terrible argument between former friends Kate and Rose without giving a cause.
I’m always amused by the argument of “Will & Kate’s marriage is fine, they turn up at school events together.” Yeah, pre-2024, they never had much on their plate work-wise, so of course they go to their kids’ school events. It doesn’t mean their marriage is strong, nor does it mean they’re actually living in the same home, nor does it mean that William is a faithful husband. Now that Colbert has discussed Rose Hanbury/Marchioness of Cholmondeley on American network television, he’s giving cover to all media outlets to revisit the Rose saga and report on it openly, five years after the story first broke and five years after Kensington Palace threw the Sussexes to the wolves to deflect from William’s wandering sceptre. That is what will be fascinating to watch: how will Huevo deflect from the renewal of the Rose conversation?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace.
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- 154066, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall. Kings Lynn, United Kingdom – Wednesday June 22, 2016. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONGKONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © WPA Pool / i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Photoshot): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 532468851, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by Rose Cholmondeley, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley as they attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
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- KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by David Cholmondeley, Marquess of Cholmondeley and Rose Cholmondeley, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley as they attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England.
Ah yay! This is what I have been waiting to discuss LOL!!! I posted this on another article, but goes better here:
I don’t actually believe this, but there’s this small part of me that wonders if Kate really did edit the photo (and she did it *because* William did actually take it) just to totally f*ck it up knowing it would cause all this. Again, I don’t really think this, but the missing rings are imo the strongest evidence that Kate did edit the photo as a massive F U to Will.
THAT thought crossed my mind too because why on earth would the ring be forgotten. Kate wears that EVERYWHERE. It’s almost like a secret message – whoever released the pic.
I would imagine her fingers are swollen from steroids post surgery but why didn’t they photoshop it in? CLOWNSHOW.
Honestly, removing absolutely everything else from discussion about Kate, just in regards to this particular incident, it would amuse me to know end if Will took some basic (probably bad) photo and Kate was like “oh honey!! Just lovely! Let me just do a tiny little changes and I’ll send this right off to KP ; )” and then started replacing faces, deleting her rings, purposefully misaligning shit LOL
Kate made sure she was pictured wearing Big Blue while scuba diving during the Caribbean Flop Tour so not wearing it here certainly is a choice.
And now we have a new mystery to answer along side of Where is Kate, Where are the kids, where is Ma Middleton – WHERE IS BIG BLUE?
So much drama with photogate that people have essentially forgotten Where is Kate!??? That is still a big question right? Did people forget her disappearance after the pap and mothers days photos. I am still counting after the 70 days..Where is Kate !???
CORRECT – because we have yet to see her.
Exactly! Let’s not forget the main issue.
IKR so many new mysteries. Maybe because there is divorce on the table Peg has decided she will not have it and took it back. Like Meg he wanted her to not have access to any jewelry so why not Can’t.
You people cannot be serious. Kate would need to be CONSCIOUS to Photoshop ANYTHING
When did all the weird stories about Meghan’s ring start up? They kept insisting that William was worried about it disappearing because it had Diana diamonds in it and that made it historic. They’re so consistent with their projection that it’s probably a clue.
Honestly that was the first thing I noticed. She never went or did anything without big blue so it was highly sus that she didn’t have it on in an official photo when we hadn’t seen her in over two months.
Also the very first thing I noticed: that ring wearing is a joke because she literally wears it everywhere no matter how dirty, strenuous or athletic the activity. Not to have it in this picture? They opened themselves to lots of media coverage just by leaving out that small object.
She wore it hours after giving birth, she’s worn it scuba diving, etc. Not wearing it or photoshopping it for this picture feels very deliberate.
She’s even adopted that really weird walk that ensures Big Blue is always visible. I can’t think of another person who strolls with the back of their hands forward facing.
“They are often seen together at school events, and really it is remarkable how one and often both of them will always be at every match, every music concert and every prize giving.” Even divorced parents have been known to do this. What’s so remarkable? It’s remarkable that they have never been photographed doing these things not even accidentally spotted in the background of another parent’s picture.
It’s not really amazing that they might both show up to a school prize ceremony – those diaries are not exactly full, y’know?
William is going to discover that he made a mistake in keeping up the fiction of his having the happiest ever marriage. He will be punished by the public.
Yep. This isn’t evidence of a good marriage; it’s evidence of involved parenting.
My best friend’s parents had a very contentious bitter divorce. But they both loved their kids and were adult enough to put all the divorce stuff to the side for the 2-3 hours needed for a school play, graduation, sports games, etc. They even managed to have a united front at her wedding. Believe me, if these two ever got back together, the world would have to implode they were so toxic together.
Huevos and Can’t attending a sports game at the same time for their kids does not in the least telegraph the status of their own relationship.
An actual semi-innocent explanation for the missing ring: Hands are apparently really difficult to fake in pictures. I’ve now run into several people who think that they added both hands to the kids, and whoever did this grabbed and switched her right hand and used that on Charlotte. They either forgot or couldn’t get the ring right. Do I buy that? I do think they’re phenomenally incompetent, so this could be true.
I find that fascinating that hands are difficult to reproduce in photography. I vaguely recall from my art history classes that hands & ears were difficulty to paint, so in very early paintings they’re a bit…wonky, to say the least. Interesting!
Oh my gosh, you are right, zoom in on the hands!! Her right hand is completely blurry, when every other hand in the photo is in focus. It stands out like CRAZY. It is clearly manipulated and intentional. WOW
I’m sorry, her proper title is now the Marching Band of Chumbawumba, unless you are also referring to her husband, in which case they are Chumley spelled Rocksavage. 😂.
I’m just using Chumley because I refuse to learn to spell that other monstrous title.
Hey I didnt know BP gave the wrong link to Charles’ commonwealth speech lol they linked to their employee Emma goodey personal youtube channel. The incompetence is also at BP and not just at KP
Aristos use those complicated name spellings as a test. If you don’t know how to pronounce it you are not part of the their class. More British horsepuckey…
😂😂😂
@Pinkosaurus
Certainly gives new meaning to the term “Tubthumping” yes?! 😁
Interesting that the former staffer doesn’t deny the affair happened, instead just says its annoying that it is being brought up again.
Former courtier and friends. Goodness, it’s all building up to quite a pile. Wasn’t there once an idea that Rose wasn’t the direct affairee but more she knew of the affair and who it was and the news had got to Kate. People often find themselves in this position re friends having affairs – what to do, tell the other party or not? Sometimes that ‘kindness’ ends up with years of being ostracised by the person you were hoping to help. What did Dickens say about poverty – people know it’s there but hate the person who reminds them.
The most interesting thing out of this article for me is that one and usually both go to every single school thing. No wonder they don’t work! Do you know how many school things there would be for 3 kids?! What a privilege! Thank God I’m not British because I’d be furious that we pay them to have the kind of life that allows them to be the kind of parents very few others can afford to be! I would LOVE to go to every single school thing!
I am baffled why anyone would even say that it’s a sign of a strong marriage when both parents attend their kids’ school events. Seems like they have no other examples of “a strong marriage” which they can even point to. 🤔
Real question: these quotes came from A friend; are there any other evidence, from other parents or students or SM posting, to support that WanK were at all those school events?
I’m gonna go full franken-conspiracy here and say there are no rings because those aren’t her hands. Her head was photoshopped into the picture afterwards.
She has those rings and she’s hidden them so Will won’t be getting them back ever.
Yes, and William told the world with his full chest that he took that picture recently, this year. One wonders, if this Mothering Sunday picture had gone unchallenged if this article might have been meant to be a soft introduction to divorce. Now that the image has been shown to be fraudulent all the press is still going forward as if things worked properly. The Frankenphoto has been exposed but the second prong of attendant propaganda hasn’t been stopped, zombie support for a campaign that got derailed by the international press agencies.
@ Normades a squaddie a few days ago posted an article that was written years ago about how Kate’s three middle fingers are all the same length-and then juxtaposed it with the photoshopped picture to suggest just this
So the PoW literally signed his name to claim he was the photographer of a “Frankenstein” photo.. KP isn’t getting its credibility back anytime soon.
Yes but this article sure works overtime to hang it firmly around Kate’s neck : it’s “Kate’s photo”, “her photo” etc. William has been airbrushed (HA!) out of the scandal…
LOL Lady Esther at William airbrushing himself out of the photo scandal
And he might have done so literally, if William was the original person in the center of the photograph!
Yes, the absence of the rings is a big statement from whoever published the photo. It wouldn;t be a big deal with most women except, as others have said, that Kate never goes anywhere without that huge ring. If the Wales marriage really is over, then I hope the ring is put in a museum and never used as an engagement ring again.
Also, turning up at school events for the children is not an indicator of a happy marriage. Even couples who despise each other can put on a united front in public for the sake of the children.
On a separate note, thank you for all the recent articles about the Wales’. I’ve had a lovely time reading all the fabulous comments and speculation xx
I once watched a documentary about one of Charles’ many mistresses – an Australian woman called “Kanga,” who had married a peer. One of the people interviewed gave statements on a time-honored tradition: Members of the aristocracy are expected to “lay down their lives and their wives” for the royal family.
In my opinion, that gives William’s affair a dark and ominous edge. How much could Rose Hanbury really consent to that hideous, temperamental waste of space? Her refusal could have had catastrophic consequences for her husband and their everyday lives together.
I hope the Nostradamus prophecy actually *is* relevant and accurate. Because if it is? William won’t be King.
At their socio-economic level, in which neither of them will ever have to put in a single day of actual work, and have consistently shown that they can blow off engagements and practically ghost their patronages with impunity, having just ONE parent show up for every school event sounds MORE suspect to me. It sounds like 2 people who can’t bear each other’s presence, not even for a couple of hours every once in a while to support their kids’ interests.
My tin foil hat theory: Wills actually wants those rumours to circulate now. In the beginning he didn’t and the press controlled and blackmailed him with it. I don’t think he and Rose are in any way together now but I think he so badly wants out of that marriage that he doesn’t mind looking like a cheater now. He has been giving big single dad energy for a while and this is just power for the course.
Most people are thinking that Kate didn’t photoshop the photo so it makes sense that William or whichever aide actually edited it for William purposely did not put the ring. Which yeah would suggest that William wanted people to notice she wasn’t wearing her ring. It would mean that he wants the discussion about their marriage out there. It’s a theory anyways.
I think it’s William sending Kate and Carole a message that he will not give up on a divorce.
What if they left the rings out on purpose hoping it would be a distraction. Then Kate could have the same where’s-her-ring? moment just like someone else did… Honestly though I think it’s divorce/separation breadcrumbs
Again-I keep coming back to: from the moment they said she was going to be out and he was stepping back-there’s been no “he’s so worried about her”, “she’s leaning on him”, “he’s devoted to her care”, “he’s attending to her every need.” Nope. He was stepping away for their family, for the kids, for the school run. It’s weird and to me (who has been a “never divorce-r”) a sign that they are definitely having issues.
I’ve seen proof of Charlotte’s sleeve being removed to put focus on her ring bearing hand…
Without the ring.
The pic is sending a message.
All is not well.
Our fellow celebitch Speededup posted yesterday that s/he has a very reliable well-connected source in Mustique who says Mrs. Wails is hiding out there. Considering the Middleton history there, I find it very believable.
Oh-Mr. Contrary has a source there-I need to check in and see if he’s heard anything like this . . .
Honestly, her being in Mustique makes a lot of sense. It explains why they can’t show her even on a zoom call, I feel like Mustique would be too hard to hide (unless they did a fake background, which people would question.) and it explains why there was a fake photo issued (because Kate isn’t with the kids, because they are in school) etc.
I hope they get exposed, people scolding us about that car photo after all these shenanigans have a lot of cheek! If Kate isn’t even in the country I want that to be known far and wide!
Lordy. So she’d have to wait a few extra weeks for the tan to fade. That’s why it’s either Easter or sometime after Easter that she’ll be back. If this is true. For all we know she had a fibroid removed and then went to Mustique. Though if she’s recuperating in mustique she might just be staying inside and not tanning. Also doesn’t explain the pap pic with ma.
I saw that too – I hope we soon find out. The subterfuge going on around Kate is quickly turning into a their fake-news house of cards.
Mary, Speededup’s source told her the police presence in the area of the island where Mrs. Wails is had increased significantly. That could be a tell for your contact.
Mustique would also make sense for the source of the rented SUV pic with Ma Midds as the actual background was removed and replaced to hide the location.
That is fascinating… and also very costly, if William isn’t footing the bill, particularly if she needs specialised medical and /or psychological care. Depending how long she’s been there, either the Middletons have found a benefactor or it’s part of divorce settlement negotiations (“Fine, let’s talk divorce but you pay for me to do it from Mustique!”)
@Pinkosaurus: Don’t think so, those outfits didn’t exactly say springtime in the Caribbean.
My theory is that – yes, the marriage is in trouble. Yes, Will has cheated (but, with whom?). But, no – the “removal” of the rings was not deliberate. It doesn’t make sense to me that whoever cobbled together that pic would do such a sloppy and hasty job everywhere else and then pay particular attention to the rings. It doesn’t make sense that Kate would telegraph a divorce in this way – she would hold out as the dutiful wife and mother until the bitter end, so as to get the maximum settlement. And it doesn’t make sense that, with all the obvious stupidity and blundering, William would think to add a subtle hint about divorce. There are only 2 reasonable explanations – those aren’t her hands, or they had to use opposite images and forgot to replace the rings.
Someone posted yesterday that it looked like they used a different person entirely sitting with the kids — maybe Pippa? and stuck Kate’s head on the body. So it would make a lot of sense for the rings to _not_ be present.
I.E. massive cockup, completely unintentional.
I think those hands are Will’s. Wasn’t there a similar picture of him with the kids?
I think there’ve been a couple of Father’s Day pics with the same set up – his arms around a child on either side and another hugging him from the back, all with big grins. It seems to be a favorite pose.
It explains why Kate seems to have gigantic arms to be able to encompass both kids!
I mean, that ring was off BOTH of her left hands! 😂. Talk about rubbing it in…
It’s either divorce, either it’s not Kate on the photo and they just forgot to put the rings on. That wouldn’t be surprising as they have proven many times already that they are really stupid.
“Frankenphoto”
@Kaiser 😆😆😆😆😆😆
I remember a month before Elizabeth’s death, W&K made an appearance at some sports event with Charlotte (Kate was cosplaying Meghan with the white pantsuit). Kate didn’t have her ring on and seemed to make a point of highlighting that fact with her hand gestures. This was when hints of separation were really picking up steam–separate arrivals to the event, the impending move to AC, the kids seemingly staying with each parent at different times throughout that summer…
All of that to say: the omission of the ring in this fake photo is definitely intentional IMO. And whoever did it absolutely knew that people would spot that anomaly and talk about it.
I remember that. It was the commonwealth games, maybe? Some sporting event in Birmingham. And that was also the time that William and Kate arrived separately – Kate by train, William by helicopter – and William had Charlotte, who also seemed to have an overnight bag.
I feel like we discussed it at the time and speculated it seemed a slow rollout to divorce.
Then the Queen died and that got shelved.
Posted this on different article: Regarding the absence of “Big Blue” is the medically required removal of all jewelry before a surgical procedure. So who has possession of it? Could be Carole, could be William, who knows?
In this case the ‘hand’ is entirely digital so those medical protocols aren’t the issue but it does bring to mind those incessant articles about William fretting over Meghan’s engagement ring and the diamonds in it. Have the Middletons altered or switched out stones on the authentic Big Blue? I have no doubt Kate wore a replica in public but the ongoing story kept coming out of nowhere over several months about William getting to the bottom of things because the diamonds were so important because they had been Diana’s. Clearly William had no reason to have any interest in his sister in laws ring at all but the papers kept reporting that. 🤔
Where is Big Blue?💎
Honestly, I hope they throw it to the ocean. Look at C&D and K&W. It is a cursed ring. I would never wear a ring representing the horrible marriage of the previous owner, who died young after divorce.
I believe KP created and issued the Franken-photo b/c it was published on K’s official PoW instagram account and KP was singularly called out by multiple agencies and serious news outlets as having issued a clearly forged image. Incompetence aside, the missing rings are a message to K, Midds and the public that the marriage is over. K’s illness is the final nail. I think it’s a negotiation tactic to remind the Midds of their place. I can’t wait to see Carole’s next move!
The fact that Colbert’s bit on Rose Hansbury was “deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace” must make him happy. It makes me happy!
And I agree with those who think the absence of Big Blue was deliberate. The only question is who was sending the message? We’re no closer to figuring that out.
“I am William’s wife” would never willingly divorce. Carole on the other hand would protect her daughter in every way she could. This would not be William versus Kate — this would be William versus Carole and that is an entirely different kettle of fish. If I recollect correctly, back in the day, Diana got something like 20 million pounds and Charles had to borrow it from Mummy to settle with her. Unfortunately she never got to enjoy it, but it was divided between the boys and invested.
Mean girl Kate backed by original mean girl Carole, wanted a big splashy palace away from KP narcs and toadies. She did not get that. Kate and William were locked into a battle over which school George would go to. She did not get the school choice she wanted. Kate wanted to exile Rose. She did not get that. She wanted to wear a nice tiara to the Chubbly. She did not get that.
So now we have the War of the Wales’ second edition. Who will win?
The proverbial other shoe of that stupid Daily Beast article dropped tonight and now they ARE trying to lay blame on Harry & Meghan for Kate’s condition and disappearance!!!!! When all else fails – bring on the fragile white tears! Boo hoo, they were soooooo mean to her that she developed a serious stress illness and now she’s had to stop working and go away for a long rest. I guess this is how she’s going to deflect from being discovered to be on a tropical getaway, shirking all duties except her little frankenphoto hobby.