The first half of 2024 was challenging for the Wales family. Princess Catherine’s abdominal surgery in January led to a cancer diagnosis, sparking a social media frenzy suggesting she was missing. However, her first public appearance since Christmas in June left the family relieved, as they remembered the horrible time following Kensington Palace’s statement that Catherine would take a step back from public Royal duties until after Easter.
Throw in rumors of an affair, no public sightings, and a poorly photoshopped UK Mother’s Day photo, and the Internet has been working overtime. In an update to Robert Hardman’s book, The Prince and Princess of Wales, it was revealed that staff at Kensington Palace were reportedly astonished by the reaction to the photo the couple posted on Mother’s Day in the UK this year.\
Aides insisted that the photo wasn’t meant to shut down rumors but was something Catherine had planned to publish all along. But after the photo was shared, it only ramped up social media.
