As we discussed, the Princess of Wales’s cancer-announcement video was apparently shot two days before it was released. Kensington Palace reportedly brought in a crew from BBC Studios – and not BBC News – to film Kate in Windsor last Wednesday, March 20. Around the same time that Kensington Palace stood silently by as everyone debated that Sun/TMZ video of “Kate and William” at the Windsor Farm Store. BBC Studios confirmed, on the record, that they “filmed a message from the Princess of Wales at Windsor this week,” but they left it to anonymous BBC insiders to refute the claim that the video had been edited or manipulated. The whole point of bringing in an outside crew to film the video should have been about the BBC lending their credibility to a palace awash with accusations of manipulated photos and videos. The fact that no one from the BBC will say on the record, as a named source, that the video had not been edited, manipulated or made use of any AI technology, is actually quite concerning. Speaking of:
Conspiracy theories and misinformation are leaving people unable to determine the truth, BBC Director-General Tim Davie will warn, following outlandish online speculation over the Princess of Wales. In a major speech setting out the corporation’s future, Mr Davie will argue that the BBC’s “impartial” news and verification techniques will play a vital role in challenging digital forces that threaten to undermine democracy itself.
“Misinformation is weakening our shared understanding of the world, undermining trust in our society and our democratic processes,” Mr Davie will tell the Royal Television Society on Tuesday. “It leaves many of us wondering who and what we can believe, and even questioning the concept of ‘truth’.”
The BBC will “pursue truth with no agenda, by reporting fearlessly and fairly”, Mr Davie promises.
Kensington Palace chose BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial wing, to shoot the Princess of Wales’s video announcement that she is being treated for cancer, in part because the broadcaster’s involvement would prevent any wild speculation about its veracity.
The BBC has created a new ‘Verify’ unit designed to combat AI-created “fake video”, which assesses the authenticity of videos and images and explains to audiences how the BBC reaches its editorial decisions. However, BBC Verify itself contributed to the whirl of stories surrounding the Princess of Wales when the unit was tasked with investigating how Kate’s Mother’s Day photo might have been digitally altered.
“…In part because the broadcaster’s involvement would prevent any wild speculation about its veracity.” I get that – someone at Kensington Palace finally understood that they had created a HUGE credibility problem for themselves and Kate’s message would end up compounding the lack of credibility, given everything said and done by the palace for the previous two months. But still, the squirreliness around this BBC Studio-produced video is also leaving people with a lot of questions. The Times and the Guardian have both written stories about the TikTok conspiracies regarding the cancer announcement video, with most of the conspiracies centered around concerns that the whole thing is AI. Again, I don’t blame people for wondering – the palace has zero credibility and it’s starting to bug me that the BBC won’t officially confirm that there are no edits or manipulations with the video. As I mentioned yesterday, I believe that the video is authentic. Still, the palace and the BBC are choosing to dismiss questions about the video by calling them conspiracies instead of being upfront about any filters or editing that was used.
Screencaps courtesy of KP’s video.
God forbid there be anything resembling competence from the royal family or British media. If I were Kate, I would be concerned if I was getting actual chemo, or a saline bag with “kemo” written on it with a Sharpie.
I’m sorry I shouldn’t be laughing but this comment is funny as hell 😂😂
I’m going straight to hell with you!
That’s hellarious!
@Persephone, co-sign 😭
That’s funny, with a smiley face too.
😂😂😂
😂💀😂
But I agree. KP is totally incapable to manage any P.R crisis and unsurprisingly this hasn’t been the firts mess they have put themselves into.
Great comment @Christine. I nearly spat my coffee out over the keyboard. 😆 😆 😆
Sorry Kaiser, I respectfully differ. That whole video was created in AI. I am an artist and designer working with AI in my work for almost 2 years. One Big tell is Kate’s speech and voice pattern. We as Squaddies have made big fun out of Kate’s speaking abilities, but to be fair she has made some strides in
improving her speaking capabilities. A big motivator for her was her sister-in-law Meghan, who she struggled to copy in every way. Kate has a low energy speech pattern naturally, her voice ebbs and then her tone drops off. She then makes a sound just before her voice octave goes back to a higher pitch. Also, when Kate talks and pauses she makes intermittent sounds and sighs throughout. In the video she has no real ebbing in her voice and she maintains a straight pitch throughout with very little variance. She does make a “huh” sound, but it can be counted in beats of 5 and 4, counting 1-100 and so on. It’s mechanical in it placement. Also, her speaking voice or dialect is constantly “upmarket”. If you listen to Kate’s actual voice like her “World Mental Health Day” made 5 months ago, speech you can really tell that Kate’s vernacular is more of her middle class roots, nothing with that, sprinkles of upmarket vernacular. In fact if you listen to that speech with, the cancer speech, you will understand what I’m pointing out here. I don’t think Kate is orchestrating any of this, but her image is being used to feed a false narrative. I wish they would stop, it does not do the Monarchy any favors.
Wow! Food for thought. I have some re-watching and listening to do.
Wow … thank you for this and I really appreciate your professional explanation. Not being funny or disrespectful but if you know this why aren’t other sources/media talking about this?Is it just a full on cover up by all the media, or is it just that none of the usual outlets have the ‘balls’ to challenge because everyone with half a heart genuinely feels for a mother with cancer. Or is it just that they have all given up and know that everything that comes from the palace is basically untrustworthy to the point it is just not worth commenting on.
+++++ @Christine. Awesome comment.
I am not at all into the conspiracies on this, but their refusal to go on the record and the way they worded this is weird. It should say they filmed Princess of Wales’ giving her cancer announcement at Windsor, not they “ filmed a message from”.
Just weird. They did not film a message, they filmed a person.
Given the content of the video, I feel like conspiracy theories are in poor taste. But the fact simply exists that Ai and deepfakes are here, they’re a very real thing, and *all* content that establishes an official record of something must be verified for authenticity.
Yes, especially coming from Kim Jong Un Palace. They should have let BBC News shoot this, but then they couldn’t do multiple takes. these people are so inept it’s appalling.
If in fact the video is proved to be a deep fake, Bettyrose, I’m really not show why the content matters? Given the multiple attempts by KP to fool the public regarding Kate’s absence from public duty, I reject your premise that any skepticism surrounding this latest video constitutes conspiracy theory.
@Proud Mary – I have jumped down the rabbit hole of many a conspiracy theory, but the image of a frail, sickly woman sitting alone as she reveals her diagnosis to the world…if the message is a lie, that is the sickest, most twisted lie imaginable. Even if the video is a deep fake, I have to believe the message is true. Otherwise, mygawd.
You have the right to believe whatever you choose, and equally so, the rest of the world have the right to maintain a healthy doze of skepticism, given the source — the British royal family. Now, you speak of “the image of a frail, sickly woman” revealing her cancer diagnosis. We have also been treated to video of a spritely, prancing “Kate” practically sprinting with her market bags. Are you clutching your pearls over responses to that video as well, Bettyrose? I don’t think you need a rabbit hole to tell you that person in the farm video could definitely show up to snip a few ribbons, here and there, while the one in the latest video might need some downtime.
I think I’m not sure what we’re discussing. Are you saying that you believe it’s a lie and Kate doesn’t have cancer?
To reiterate: Given KP’s shenangan’s I believe people have the right to question the latest video without being labeled conspiracy theorists. For example, we’ve seen one video that shows a fairly healthy Kate and another video that shows a frail Kate. Not to mention the cobbled-up frankenfoto. I’m making no judgement about her veracity. I repeat, if the video is proved to be a deep fake, that information is relevant, regardless of the message. So stop trying to guilt-trip people for questioning the video, because “cancer.”
BTW, although I don’t question her diagnosis, the fact people are using the cancer diagnosis to shut down all debate really makes me wonder if that wasn’t the purpose. I mean, as one author puts it, cancer is “The emperor of all Maladies.” Once an English rose is said to be stricken with it, she has entered sainthood and no one can henceforth question anything she does and says, and vicariously so, the entire Firm can benefit from her aura.
@ProudMary I do think the video deserves to be scrutinized based on past actions of KP. But you said “stop trying to guilt trip people for questioning the video because ‘cancer.'”
I’m seeing the opposite on this site – people here act like those of us who don’t think this is AI are stupid or naive or just “dont get it” or “dont understand what a kill order means” or whatever else. So I think its going both ways and maybe we all need to take a step back here mentally.
I do think her cancer diagnosis is being used to shut down all debate and all criticism about KP, but that can be true with an authentic video.
@BettyRose and ProudMary, when I saw the video of Kate announcing that she was receiving preventative treatment to destroy cancer cells, I felt if she was reading from a teleprompter. Furthermore, the background setting seemed staged to me. The thought occurred to me is she really telling the truth. I tried to dismiss the conjecture, but it still lingers with me because of all the shenanigans and subterfuge that the palace previously pulled. I will say at this point that no one knows what type of cancer Charles has and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kate doesn’t have cancer.
@ Bettyrose as I have said elsewhere no one wishes the mother of three young children anything other than a speedy recovery. BUT and a big but… that does not excuse the family of our head of state misleading us , if that is what is happening.
@Proud Mary, your last paragraph — ITA, which is why I’m having trouble with the whole thing. I don’t necessarily think the video is fake, but KP had dug itself into an impossibly awful situation, and they were getting their worst PR since Diana’s death.
But you’re right— as soon as the C word is mentioned, Kate was sainted and no valid criticism is allowed. And they’re extending it to William as well. They were in an *extremely desperate* situation, and with that one message from Kate, ALL speculation and criticism was shut down immediately.
And I can’t think of many other ways they could have accomplished that.
I have no idea what I believe anymore, but KP has a firmly established reputation as liars, so really nothing would surprise me at this point.
So they got it out there that the BBC recorded the video to try and get some sort of credibility back but BBC won’t say it out loud that they did it. More conspiracy theories will follow.
Right— they are all but saying there is something about the video that would look bad if people found out.
!! How are they so bad at this? I don’t think this is AI, but They filmed a “message” that Kate wrote herself, and William was not even present and no one will make a statement that they were there. Why the hedging?
The BBC didn’t, though. BBC Studios is separate from the actual BBC. So the BBC as an entity can’t confirm or deny anything, since they really were not involved.
I would bet money that the Palace made the dumb error of thinking if they hired BBC Studios, they could pretend “the BBC” filmed the video and try to namedrop for credibility, and just assumed people wouldn’t understand that there’s a difference between BBC and BBC Studios, and they basically got busted trying to muddy the waters and trying to claim a legitimacy they don’t have.
(I think the video is real and not AI, I don’t mean legitimacy in that way, I mean the general lack of credibility they have.)
BBC Studios is owned by BBC
If it was filmed on by the BBC, why wasn’t it aired on the BBC?
The agency that cut the crying King Charles from its archival footage of his mother’s funeral because…reasons. Sure, yeah, they’re going to “pursue truth with no agenda, by reporting fearlessly and fairly”, except when it comes to the British Royal Family. The agenda there is ‘prop up the institution otherwise the whole darn thing falls apart’.
And yeah, I get the difference between BBC News & BBC Studios. KP was likely hoping people would conflate the two, as the author of the quoted article did.
I don’t think it’s AI but now that they are hedging so much, it’s clear that there is *something* they can’t admit to without everyone absolutely losing their minds.
Yeah. Why not have the producer of the segment make a statement. It’s not hard.
This is pure speculation, but the producer may not be a BBC employee (could be a freelancer hired via BBC Studios, since they often work with freelancers, or even if it was a BBC Studios employee, that’s not the same as being a BBC employee).
Or they’re dumb enough to not hire a producer at all, just a camera team and a director.
Samuel, I’m in that business too. this seems like an expensive commercial more than a news gathering clip. Looks like they had a DP, lighting, teleprompter runner, hair, make up, whole crew.
Plus, they had to have had an overall in-house producer + PM, etc overseeing field producer (who could be freelance), even if KP was the customer and producer on some level.
I’ve never worked on a set without a producer, even small news gathering teams have camera and producer, they cut audio before producer, but even so, KP has the tax money to spend on doing this the right way.
Obviously everyone signed NDA, but BBC Studios could allow producer or studio head to issue a statement.
What I find so strange is that they made a big deal that they gave the footage to KP to distribute and unnamed claim there were no edits before that. BBC Studios handed off unedited footage to KP to do whatever with. (I don’t buy that there was no post done to this footage, but that’s another story.)
Move over Charles, context is king.
It’s interesting that iNews mentions the BBC creating a unit to combat AI fakes. But they don’t mention the recent BBC announcement of creating and using generative AI, nor do they go into the controversy the BBC caused when they had to stop using AI for Dr Who promos due to incredible levels of pushback from the audience.
This is also happening at a time when the Tories were just caught trying to pass off footage of NY as London in an attack ad. Of course, the Tory party and the palace are totally separate and not at all enmeshed, so that’s probably unrelated.
The very fact that the palace is resorting to these drastic tactics of convincing the world the video is real and yet still can’t get someone to put their name to it and Will wasn’t there and Kate wrote the script herself and all the rest is a giant blinking red flag that at this point can be seen from space. Something is very wrong here, and the coverup story is as fake as that video.
Thanks, well summarized!
“BBC Verify itself contributed to the whirl of stories surrounding the Princess of Wales when the unit was tasked with investigating how Kate’s Mother’s Day photo might have been digitally altered.” So it is now the fault of those who exposed the lies from KP and not Kate’s fault? Is the BBC taking the scapegoat role on now? Do people in the UK really fall for this gaslighting? I don’t believe there were no edits or splicing together of segments. Kate hasn’t shown herself capable of reading a prompter without errors in the past. The still screen behind her and having her hold her hands in her lap instead of jazz hands was likely to make it easier to edit.
That’s a great point – so, even before that BBC sports reporter voiced her concerns about the farm video, the BBC had been directly involved in analyzing the Mother’s Day photo. Internationally the BBC is one of the only trusted media outlets in the UK, and after the k*ll order and with Reuters and AP making such strong statements against KP, they would’ve been under enormous pressure to follow suit.
And, this all comes after years of conflict between the BBC, the Tories, and the royals, with their licensing fee being repeatedly threatened. So yes, the BBC is being made to take the scapegoat role, but even still, despite all this pressure, they’re hesitant to do so fully and won’t put an actual name to the filming which speaks volumes to me.
ETA: some of this may also be self-preservation, because surely the BBC has published way more photos/stories on behalf of KP than Reuters or the AP, so presumably they are much more guilty of running those fake photoshopped photos (particularly of the queen and prince philip, which has historic record implications, for a news org that’s serious). A whole other can of worms.
This is very interesting context. It does seem like the bbc is resisting taking the fall for something when and if it comes out.
Might it be that the timeline of her illness is being fudged? I would not be surprised if she has been in treatment since last year, which would explain the sudden appearance of the bulky wigs people noticed last year. If the BBC is aware of this, I can absolutely see them wanting to be cagey about the video and its contents since the implication is that the illness is only recent.
Exactly! The Tories have demonised the BBC for years, of course the BBC don’t want to have the job of proving the royals’ credibility foisted onto them when the BBC had nothing to do with the video.
I am on the same page as SID. I think the video was done some time ago. My thought would be after surgery but before chemo, and decided not to put out video for some reason. It’s out now to shut down the questions not thinking it would raise more.
Right? So news organizations who reported that photo agencies put a kill order on KP’s frankenphoto are now at fault for the conspiracy theories? Is that what the bbc is actually saying??? There ain’t nothing fearless or fair about that. The blame falls on KP for that photo. But okay bbc, pease continue to gaslight the public and carry water for the monarchy while preaching about fair and fearless or whatever. We see you and people aren’t dumb.
@Sid, I think I agree with you that we’re not getting the correct timeline from the palace. (I think the same about Charles; I’ve read in too many places that he was diagnosed much earlier than he told the public.)
I had been of the opinion that this video is genuine, but l need an explanation for why the stripes on Kate’s sweater are throwing shadows on the bench slats on her right. I hate the AI and conspiracy theories, but since patterns on clothing don’t throw shadows, this is a head scratcher. And this video isn’t “one take Kate,” so I’m sure there were plenty of redos and edits to turn it into the final piece that we saw.
I thought the bench was metal and the stripes are a reflection off the metal?
It’s clearly a reflection. You can see the white and dark blue stripes reflected in the bench.
I thought the bench was wooden, so metal would explain a reflection. Thank you.
I think that’s a reflection of her jumper, not a shadow. But yeah, this didn’t happen in one take. That’s simply not possible given we have never seen her speak this well before. They are raising issues when they claim it wasn’t edited, of course it went through post.
Most of the TT “analysis” of bench slats, bugs, lighting etc are BS – those factors alone cannot definitively determine whether a video is AI or not. They might seem visually off, which makes the viewer question what they’re seeing, but they’re not actual evidence.
Those TTs are, at best, like true crime enthusiasts who “investigate” by making wild extrapolations based on already public evidence or literally nothing. Sure, sometimes they hit on something real, but most of the time the “evidence” they point to (his microexpression at minute 1:31, her sudden hair cut meant she was going to leave him, etc) is entirely circumstantial at best or straight mis- or dis- information at worst.
But seeding counter-arguments to unreliable narrators is also a huge tactic – feed the best opposing argument to the least reliable people and the actual facts of the argument are forever tainted by their source.
AI also doesn’t necessarily mean the video is totally fake; it could be a partially real video filmed with a different person, it could be a completely real video filmed with Kate’s appearance altered in post for whatever reason. There are a zillion possiblities here, and IMHO to me personally, the immediate, 5-alarm, fully loaded bot farm coordinated response of ‘how dare you question us when we’ve repeatedly lied to you and tried to pass off doctored images literally a few days ago’, along with putting all these legitimate questions in the delulu qanon basket, all align with an aggressive influence campaign being waged to prop up their house of cards.
@ Sunday, very well stated! The effort behind the campaign to discredit anyone questioning KP is frightening.
It’s so obvious that it’s been filmed indoors against a backdrop, the light is unnatural, and nothing moves. I’m sure she used a teleprompter, a voice over would be too hard to sync. Or maybe not with AI? Something is hinky with ALL of this, though I wish her well.
Agreed.
Oh, wow — I just went back and watched it after reading your comment, and it’s true — NOTHING moves, not even the slightest twitch of a daffodil in the lightest of breezes. No birds flying by, or insects, and the blossoming trees are completely still. It HAS to be a backdrop. I would never have questioned it if you hadn’t pointed that out.
BBC News is right there, but the royals swerve and go to …. BBC Studios. The news arm should be the logical first place to go to close the window of doubt, and yet they don’t. BBC Studios is a for hire entity with AI capabilities when BBC News is right there, willing to send over a camera and sound and a producer and a reporter to give the announcement that much-needed stamp of authenticity. Yet the royals stopped short of using the news arm. Why?
It’s so stupid. As an oblivious foreigner, when I heard BBC, I thought it was synonymous with the news. If the BBC has used AI, why go anywhere near that?
KP is going to have to make a choice. Either they need to shut up and ignore everyone talking until K is well enough to return to “work,” or they’re going to need to bite the bullet if she’s able and get her in an almost fool-proof situation so everyone knows it’s actually her. They cannot blame the public for being conspiracy theorists, because there is room for doubt. They’re potentially convincing even more people that they’re lying by doing this.
It’s not merely stupidity, it’s deliberate, it’s propaganda. As I’ve said, proof of life for me will come when she does a live event, with witnesses.
I too assumed this was the news division, completely forgetting that they have an entertainment branch as well. Maybe the news division didn’t want any part of it which would be understandable. However, what they ended up doing with the studio division is pretty problematic on its own. I guess we’re supposed to be happy that they didn’t call in TMZ again. And it’s possible they went to the news division first but placed conditions on them which they could/would not accept as a news organization.
@ML “when I heard BBC, I thought it was synonymous with the news.”
that is precisely what they were going for and why they enlisted BBC (studios) to help them launder their reputation and this increasingly bizarre, suspicious narrative.
Honestly this is the first time I’ve actually even considered the possibility that something very very bad, and final, has already happened. It’s just all so bizarre. Like, if this really were Kate, why on earth would they need to go to BBC studios to film a soft-focus instantly questionable “explanation” instead of just having her go on KP’s insta live or lean fully in to BBC news? It’s another inexplicable choice with horrible, far-reaching implications. Red flags all around, red flags everywhere.
Either KP is cheering the fact that tons of people do not believe them for some unknown reason, or they have a huge problem.
Victoria Newton said on air that KP okayed the Farm Store Kate video, where Kate does not resemble BBC Kate. So both videos were approved by KP. And today I learned that instead of going to the news division, when KP has essentially all the trustworthiness of North Korea, they went to BBC Studios, which has used AI in the past! And now, if I understand correctly, BBC [news] is refusing to go on record and support this video 100%? Yikes!
The BBC (news arm) lie for the royals all the time. They are RF upmarket propaganda. They’ve edited footage as the royals demand. It truly is north Korea there.
It’s tough because it might just be a Four Seasons Landscaping type screwup, but it’s also possible that it was a deliberately deceptive choice. Malice and stupidity are equally plausible explanations for anything coming from KP.
Honestly, I enjoyed the stupidity that led to the Four Seasons Landscaping snafu so much after the daily horror we were forced to endure. However, this actually, while potentially stupid, is not funny at all to me. If K is going through chemotherapy, then she deserves peace. If she’s either in trouble or chilling on a beach with cocktails instead, that should be clear. I cannot believe that it is so da*n hard to prove that she’s actually seriously ill.
@ML, EXACTLY!! 👏 👏👏
This is not rocket science. Yet they still can’t manage to do it.
Exactly!
I’ve seen a lot of people go through chemo, and it did a number on every single one of them. A close friend of mine was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and she gets low-dose chemo every Friday, rests during the weekend and returns to work on Monday. It’s not just for cancer.
The K in the BBC video looked thin and fatigued. I believe that she’s ill.
I don’t like the lack of transparency though? Why is this so hard? Just have the people who filmed her come forward and show pictures of them posing with her. There’s no way they didn’t take selfies and she didn’t thank them for helping her out. Otherwise, she’s going to have to deal with conspiracy theories until she returns, as will everyone else at KP. And they should acknowledge W’s behavior in this! His not showing up at the memorial and posting the Frankenphoto are essentially why they’re in this mess.
She whose hormones cannot be named letting BBC staffers take selfies? Nah.
Whereas she will take selfies with a woman who runs a very anti-sussex Twitter account, RNN. That was a choice.
Exactly, ML, release pictures of Kate with staff and crew on set along with a fawning story of how she was so marvelous to work with, what a courageous woman she is to come forward publicly etc. etc. And put a name to the article along with photo credits. I’m teetering on the edge of true or false with this video, so proof of life continues to be the issue here.
I can’t believe we are here!? But we are. At first I thought the strongest argument for the validity of this video was that she was so good in it! But with all of the weird press around its authenticity they are once again showing bad work. And now it’s easy to consider the possibility that this is not in fact real.
These people are fools and think that we are. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
We need the raw footage at this point.
As I said yesterday I think the video is genuine. And I think some of the conspiracy theories are a little…..extreme.
But, it was inevitable that this video was going to be heavily scrutinized and again, like we keep saying, that’s on KP. KP damaged its own credibility. So there is no one to blame but themselves.
At this point, given all that’s transpired, I think KP is simply behind the times. It’s just too late for them to release yet another photo or pre-recorded video. If they had to go the pre-recorded route, why couldn’t she sit for a brief interview with BBC news? Going with BBC studios just tells me they only wanted those three letters attached to the video to assume a venire of credibility. I don’t know if this is AI or deep fake, but it just seems to be their same flimflam sauce in a BBC labeled bottle.
I’ve seen multiple threads on twitter than did more to convince me it’s not AI than any scolding by the RR. That said, they are actively creating the impression that there is something else off about the video. Maybe not a complete fake, but something else. I can’t imagine what but I have no trouble believing that there are questionable circumstances surrounding the whole thing.
I think the most obvious answer to the whole “something is off” here is probably the most accurate – that something in the timeline is being fudged.
I can also see KP being so arrogant that they’re telling the BBC not to say anything else about the video because “its not the public’s business” so BBC can’t say anything more (about editing or timing or whatever) so its giving this sense of their being something sketchy here when there really isn’t and KP just being too entitled/arrogant/stupid to realize (or care) that they are adding to the problem here, yet again.
And yeah, for every social media account insisting this is AI, I’ve seen 2-3 others proving why its not.
“there” being something sketchy here 🤦♀️🤦♀️
The sort of zero sum analysis that’s going on is a bit silly, really — either it’s AI or there’s nothing to see here. Assuming its true that she does have cancer, at a minimum, she is not telling the truth about the nature, timing and scope of her diagnosis. I find it rather suspicious that the story she tells about how doctors discovered her cancer is just so similar to Charles. Also, how is it possible that it would take so long to diagnose the condition of people of such money, power and privilege?
@ProudMary thats why I think something is off with the timing, Kate’s story is just too close to Charles. And while its not unusual in itself (that cancer is discovered during another procedure), it just seems…..a little off…..that for both of them it happened at the same time.
My guess is that Kate’s abdominal surgery was directly related to her suspected cancer – they went in specifically to remove something like a mass or a tumor that they thought might be cancerous. this wasn’t her going in for a gall bladder surgery and the surgeon being like, well look over here at this!
So they’re being squirrely with the timing because cancer was suspected (maybe even found/diagnosed) before the surgery and that was the reason for the surgery. I also don’t think it took weeks or whatever for her cancer to be diagnosed.
I wonder if she had the surgery in December, and by the time they made the January announcement the cancer had already been diagnosed. If she had to wait to recover from the “major abdominal surgery” to start treatment, two months (december to february) makes more sense than January to February for recovery time, you know?
But again if that was the case – why not just announce the cancer in January?
@becks1 – I think you are correct.
A few years ago, I had breast cancer and went to Mayo Clinic. I had double mastectomies. The tissue was sent to pathology and all thoroughly examined and about two weeks later I got the results Turns out I had cancer cells in the “non-cancerous” breast. If sentinel lymph nodes had detected cancerous cells, I would have had to have chemo. As none were detected, I did not need chemo, thankfully.
I’m suspecting a similar scenario for Kate. There was something there that turned out to be cancerous and identified after the surgery.
@Becks, your timeline here makes a lot of sense
Why can’t they get this video run through their own Verify process to confirm it is accurate? It shouldn’t be an issue if everything is above board.
@Nic, I think you answered your own question. Something— idk what— is not aboveboard
BBC dared to vouch itself’s credibility is a joke. The BBC chairman is appointed by the King & British Government, and the news regulation body Ofcom is a joke too. Considering the new policies passed by the British Parliament during the past couples of years, the 🇬🇧 is gearing to authoritarian than democracy.
Like Kaiser stated, “…the BBC won’t officially confirm that there are no edits or manipulations with the video.” Why is it so hard to say the truth? They are just BRF. Anything happens to them won’t really affect Britons every day lives, will it? Wasn’t the BRF said (paraphrasing here), “If Prince Harry died, it is not likely cause significant public upset”? Then same goes for the other members of the current BRF! Why is the BRF so important than ordinary citizens?
“the BBC won’t officially confirm that there are no edits or manipulations with the video.” Why is it so hard to say the truth?”
Because the BBC as an entity weren’t involved in the video.
They essentially just hired some people/equipment from the BBC’s commercial wing, which is separate from the actual BBC.
I had no idea that the BBC had a separate entertainment arm until now, and I think a lot of other people thought the same. We hear “BBC” (especially as an American) and believe it’s credible. So I’m sure that for many people who aren’t online scrutinizing it like we are, KP’s plan worked. A ton of people were fooled.
Having viewed previous legitimate footage of Kate speaking to a camera side by side with the recent video I do believe the video is AI.
That people conflate not accepting the video as denying Kate’s medical condition is unhelpful, the issues are completely separate. Kate can have serious medical issues and the video can be a hoax. Both things can be true at the same time. BBC Studios and BBC News are separate entities, I do think KP relied upon people seeing “BBC” with little thought in it.
Like the Frankenphoto that KP’s press minions denied was Kate’s “Jecca face” until they had to admit it was true in the wake of the kill notice and the farm shop video which is clearly not her, I believe this recent video is not genuine and you can see it when you focus on the face. The kerfuffle over Big Blue keeps one’s eye drawn away from her face on purpose. Watching actual Kate and BBC Studios’ Kate talk is instructive.
Will this video get busted? In truth the farm shop video has not been explored by media outlets yet, there is a backlog of deceit so this production may have to wait it’s turn for proper scrutiny but luckily the remedy for Kate in the face of more distrust in KP ‘s veracity is simple, she can be seen at a proper press event with international journalists conducted live as proof of life and a way of reiterating her health challenges and giving calm to a nation destabilized by her disappearance.
Easy peasy.
@Interested Gawker
I completely agree with you. This video IS AI. Thank you for reminding of the fact the diagnosis and the video being real or fake are completely seperate issues.
I’m now wondering if the Farm video was AI versus a body double.
I suppose the farm shop could be AI and body double, one thing I learned poking about these things is hybrid use of real and digital components can be part of making these things…
One other aspect (that many can agree is poor taste but inevitable online) is people have added different joke backgrounds with green screen to it and you really do see the problems with BBC Studios Kate when random backgrounds different to the placid garden setting are moving around behind her.
Somebody has to be willing to announce. “Soylent Green is people” when there are such discrepancies. People swore the Frankenphoto was real. Many people rejected the farm video on sight, I don’t feel this is any different. Even if the video is legitimate a prerecorded video is still not proof of life as far as I am concerned. That is the overarching issue, Kate and the children have not been seen in public since December.
This is how I am starting to lean, very odd all around.
This whole thing is a circus. I usually am the first person to avoid conspiracy and come up with logical explanations etc but I will say this much – I don’t think any of them are extreme at this point. Everything seems off. The fact they used BBC Studios. The fact no one will go on the record. The fact they are now talking about using AI detectors for thr future.. on and on.
As for the video, something really is off about it. I have been reading about AI and watching AI videos and a lot of isn’t so far fetched from this video. The entire video is blurred. The background doesn’t move even in slow motion AT ALL. And yet… they have a repeating bird & nature like sound faintly in the background. I also question the shadows on the bench. Some say it’s a metal but really is it? How does anyone know that? Her teeth especially her bottom teeth look awkward in some positions of the video and if you screenshot it they mimick the bottom teeth of George from the Frankenstein picture. There are many more observations many people have pointed out as well including from people that are familiar with AI. The biggest indicator to me that something was completely off is her accent and absence of even one little mumble. Also, her hands. She has absolutely no jazz hands. I have a hard time believing someone would tell her suddenly after a decade DONT USE YOUR HANDS.
I am just completely baffled by this. Charles is over 70 yo with cancer and has been completely transparent about all of this. No, he isn’t working everyday but just simply being seen getting from his car to the castle was enough. My brain just can’t wrap my head around everything that has transpired with Peg, Kate and KP. I don’t know what to think anymore.
Initially I accepted the video as genuine, even though the lighting seemed weird. Apparently no Spring breezes fluttered the daffodils in the background, and KKKhate’s hair didn’t budge, not even the slightest wisp. Her delivery was the biggest tipoff, considering her past inability to even introduce herself without haltingly glancing at her notes. No incomprehensible mumbling or wild gestures. This alone has me questioning.
And now the ongoing silence from the BBC Studios. Something is definitely off. Only time will tell.
I agree. The lack of mumbling is surprising, but could have had a teleprompter.
Importantly, from 1:23 to 1:33 something shines in her hair. It’s on the right side (her left), near the neck, in the darkest spot, where there should be no light to generate shining.
There is a glitch at 1:23 beside her left shoulder (our right), as if the Matrix reloading.
She DID have a teleprompter for sure. To read a cancer diagnosis. I remain skeptical as well.
I assumed that she had used a teleprompter, and I see nothing wrong with that. I think she would have needed the assistance of a prepared speech and teleprompter in order to make such a difficult announcement. She’s a poor speaker at the best of times and needs all the help she can get. She wouldn’t have wanted to do more than one take of this video and that’s fine with me.
I don’t even mind if the cutesy “Daffodil Day” themed background was added. I don’t think that matters. It’s appropriate. Wherever she was there are some flies or bugs of some sort flying around. I hope they were not added, but they might have been, but, again, so what? The main thing is the crux of the message she is conveying, and as long as it is true at its core, and she actually has had major abdominal surgery and has cancer and is being treated for it, that’s all that really matters in my opinion.
I’m usually more than happy to criticise Kate, but despite what the royals might like to think and want us to think, she is, after all, just a human woman who has young children and who has received a diagnosis that we all fear and I won’t criticise her for wanting this difficult speech to be as easy as possible and for her to look as good as she can while doing it.
I took it for granted she used a teleprompter, even the professionals do that. There’s no way she would have been able to deliver a memorized speech especially in a very difficult and anxious situation. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she had to do several takes if she stumbled using the teleprompter.
KP chose BBC Studios over BBC News precisely so it could fudge the details without being accountable. If BBC News had been involved, they might have filmed a behind-the-scenes-of-this-world-shattering-video segment that explained the technical details and how the video came about. But KP chose a service it could buy and silence.
That said, I do think this is genuinely Kate.
And I know this is going to sound harsh — and I truly do wish her good health — but I think she comes across as a more polished speaker here, because it’s a subject she really cares about: herself and her kids. I don’t think she really cares about most of the subjects she speaks on — she certainly doesn’t care enough to do serious speech prep.
I agree with your last part. A large part of her issue with public speaking is that she doesn’t care, and she doesn’t prepare (haha, look, a rhyme!) I often think she’s getting the speech the minute she steps up to the podium.
Here, I think its clear she practiced the speech several times, she cares about the topic (her health and privacy) and dropping some of the posh accent helped as well.
@Becks, you were a poet and you didn’t even know it! 🤪
(Sorry, my mom taught me that when I was little and I couldn’t resist)
Yes, totally agree with both of you. This is Kate. It’s got the bouncing for beat she does when public speaking; here it’s in her hands and she’s trying not to do it so often. It’s also got the “Kate Behind Perspex” look of her videos to date, all gauze -like to hide the full view of her age. All this rumour mongering is getting out of control, but they have only themselves to blame.
The contrast certainly does invite comparisons, doesn’t it, and lead the brain to think of reasons, and the one you advance resonates with me.
What made me pause after I watched the video: Kate’s way of speaking is different.
Not only no jazz hands, but she hardly even used them
And: her nose and lack of jowls (as there’s no edit…)
Weight loss causes skin to become wrinkled, even saggy, resulting in things like jowls. Kate had jowls before she was sick, even if Chris Jackson, and a few others, but mostly him, did their best to disappear them.
Dramatic weight loss, like we saw here, can also contribute to a sagging jawline as it is also associated with loss of volume and fat in the face.
Weight loss doesn’t directly impact the size and shape of a nose because it’s made up of cartilage, bones and skin.
But in the video the tip of the nose looks different, and the bridge does look more straight.
Not even mentioning Big Blue that’s missing in several frames, plus the strange, unnatural movement when blinking with the eyes.
And that no one admits to the (green screen) studio background. We had a near total wind calm here this morning, and still the daffodils, scilla, bluebells, muscari, crocuses and grass moved ever so slightly.
After all that fakery over the years from KP and minions, I remain sceptical.
I just watched the video again and i really believe it’s A.I. I think they could’ve used an actual person to sit on the bench and then dubbed/overlaid on “Kate”’s face. There’s weird blurriness and “glitching” that affects only her face. The eyes look weird. This all just doesn’t add up!! If this was a real video, it would be filmed crystal clear! But it’s not. It’s got a fake background and the face is very off and unnatural. There’s only one answer as to why this is. And when you think about all the fake photos & fake farm video, it makes it even more likely that it’s fake. Something very bad is going on!
Her videos have never been clear, always gauzy and indistinct. She fears looking old. Here, she looks like she could’ve been worried about looking too ill. Her call.
Sparrow – she could also be sedated. Which is why she’s speaking more calmly.
Whatever’s happened to her I think she is on some kind of medication.
“The fact that no one from the BBC will say on the record as a named source..”
Hmm, why and what are they afraid of. If they are truly being honest, there’s nothing to hide. That’s the one thing with the BM, there’s no transparency and no wonder why people around the world still believe they’re all lying.
There’s some people I know that doesn’t follow the BRF but thinks the video is AI. People who are well versed with technology has doubts.
I’ll have to admit, I’m unsure. I’ll wait it out to see when or if she ever returns to public life.
This.
Phil Chetwynd, the global news director at Agence France-Presse (AFP), said with his whole chest and ten toes down that KP was no longer a trusted source and that the previous photo kills had been from the North Korean or the Iranian news agencies.
So why won’t someone at the Beeb confirm that this is real?
🤔🙄
Ambiguity has sounded the death knell of believability of anything from the Royal family from now on..
They broke it and they will never fix it
Excellent comment Mary and hope you’re doing well 💐
On a side note to this thread. Some people are saying this is why she was wearing wigs at the end of last year. Why? Because her hair was thinning through illness? Or has she been getting chemo for a while already? In which case, goodness, that takes some strength. Thanks in advance.
She was wearing them since at least 2019 so no, it’s not a proof.
The same for her ED that have been seen in Kate for practically a decade.
From my observation, when death and/or illness occurs, there’s an increase in sympathy and praise for the deceased/ill as there should be. That said, I recall instances of cancer fraud by people who want attention, money, a reputation reset, and support. I’m not saying that’s what the royals are doing with their princess. I AM saying that the results of this cancer reveal make me understand why confirmed fraudsters are motivated to fake a cancer diagnosis.
Great observation 👍
You can’t expect BBC’s head to be straight about a venerated institution like the monarchy. The Tory controlled its purse strings for so long, the BBC is more of a leashed dog these days.
The monarchy represents the old ways and is small “c” conservative. But politically, because by its very own non democratic set-up, it’s better aligned with conservatives like the Tory in terms of valuing strict hierarchical power and rigid class structure. In a monarchy, only top dog rules. It’s not rule by democratic driven consensus.
This is the rub. The UK has always had a rigid class structure from the get go. The US was less so as a young nation, but became more rigid as the concentration of wealth and power migrated to the top. Today UK and US are much more alike.
The royals get red carpet treatment along with special privileges. The billionaire clubs buy similar privileges. Some billionaires own media companies or own large shares of these companies. The red carpet club is very small and intertwined.
Trump’s Truth Social just got a huge cash infusion (that saved his as*) from a shell investment company to keep Trump and his messaging alive. Billionaires are “the investors”.
The royal family thrives only by keeping its brand unsullied and treasured. It can only do so with mass media’s help. So it courts billionaires and those with media power. The fact that it can command so much legitimacy to the point that news about its members got more headlines and more articles than news about Ukraine in one day is telling.
Personally, my interest in the royals is less about the individual persons and more about the outsized power they have over so many people and institutions. It’s fascinating and frightening at the same time as democratic societies lose more of the many aspects of democracy.
🎯
It would have been way more authentic if William had sat with her on the bench when she did her video, held her hand, and generally looked supportive.
But he didn’t.
I’m not buying it.
BTW….I love this site!
I think it was Kate on the announcement video. But wouldn’t dismiss other theories. There is so much trickery now that can be used in footage. The kind that’s used in Tom Cruise movies. William’s new bestie 🤔
Plus she’s saying she had cancer but it might have been something else entirely. Kate is a known liar as well as KP but we are suppose to believe what they say…