A picture is worth a thousand words. But in Kate Middleton's case, one image came with a thousand theories.
The Royal Family hasn't been short on drama in recent years, with Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepping away from their public duties as royals.
But this time around, it's the Princess of Wales in the spotlight… for not being in the spotlight.
Kate, who has been out of the public eye for months, was caught editing a photo of her with her family, adding fuel to the so-called "Katespiracy," Business Insider's Kwan Wei Kevin Tan and Mikhaila Friel write.
Major photo agencies pulled the image, but it took 13 hours for Kate to address the drama via Kensington Palace's social media accounts. She explained away the issue by saying she does "occasionally experiment with editing," but plenty of people weren't buying it. It was also somewhat unprecedented, considering the Royal Family has previously been accused of editing photos, yet hasn't responded with an apology before.
The Kate Middleton saga could raise questions about the future of the British monarchy.
Kate represents the future and some much-needed vitality for the Royals. But if the public begins questioning that, it could pose problems.
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There are plenty who would be happy to see the Royals go. Still, the family has no shortage of fans, as evident by the millions who tune into their weddings and honor their funerals.
It's true they don't hold any real power within the British government, but what they do with their immense wealth would prove fascinating in a potential post-monarchy world.
Of course, this could all be for naught. Kate could return to public duties after Easter, as was initially planned by Kensington Palace. Maybe she should have chalked up the editing snafu to getting three kids smiling in the same photo, as BI's Katie Notopoulos wrote.
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