Royal family needs to get their ‘act together’ as Kate, Charles rumors swirl: Princess Diana pal

The royal family is “perilously” close to entering its 11th hour, according to an expert and the late Princess Diana’s close friend.

Richard Kay sent the Firm a dire warning as speculation over Kate Middleton and King Charles’ respective health woes continues to swirl.

With senior members of the royal family pulling back from the fold one at a time over various health issues, the monarchy has faced a difficult start to the year.

And according to Kay, the family needs to get their “act together or lose public confidence” before it’s too late.

“The photograph issue, while small in itself, nevertheless exposed tensions that lie close to the surface in the family, as well as the fragility of an institution that for decades seemed impervious to any external threat,” Kay wrote in the Daily Mail.

“But if we are not quite at the 11th hour, we are ­perilously close. There still may be time for the high tide of public disapproval to recede, but the cost to the royal image and to individual reputations has been high.”

“Yet the problems go beyond the two medical emergencies. Family cohesion and other certainties that we once took for granted are fast disappearing,” he added.

Follow The Post’s live updates for the latest news on Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, as rumors swirl about her whereabouts after her botched family photo controversy and abdominal surgery.

For the Princess of Wales, 2024 has so far been nothing short of chaotic.

After having abdominal surgery in January, the mom of three, 42, was forced to issue an apology after she released a doctored family photo for UK Mother’s Day on March 10.

Just seconds after the image was unveiled on social media, eagle-eyed followers noticed a myriad of editing mishaps in the photo of the royal with her three children.

The widespread speculation prompted conspiracy theorists to come out of the woodwork, with claims not only about Middleton’s health, but her whereabouts.

Leading photo agencies — including Reuters, the Associated Press, Getty and Agence France-Presse — subsequently yanked the image over numerous signs it had been altered.

France’s AFP news agency has since announced that Kensington Palace cannot be deemed a “trusted source” of information.

Middleton reportedly visited a farm shop with Prince William over the weekend. However, she was not photographed, which has raised even more questions among the public about her well-being.

King Charles, for his part, has taken a step back from royal duties as he continues outpatient treatment following his cancer diagnosis.