Between Conspiracy Theories And Loss Of Privacy, Is Kate Middleton Getting The Meghan Markle Treatment?

For the last 48 hours, the internet has been ripe with wild rumors and conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton’s whereabouts. Since having abdominal surgery in January, she has been shockingly absent from the public eye. On Sunday, the royal family released a photo of Middleton alongside her children to quiet the speculation.

However, the image was proved to be a photoshop fail and only fueled even more gossip. All of this unwanted scrutiny and entitlement to Kate’s privacy leaves everyone asking one important question: Is she getting the Meghan Markle treatment? When called out for the manipulated image (it was so bad that AP and Reuters pulled the photo), Middleton released a statement trying to explain the bizarre picture.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said in a statement Monday. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.” Some British outlets, like The Telegraph, demanded that folks respect Kate’s privacy but have refused to have that same empathy for Meghan.

In her infamous 2021 interview with Oprah, Markle discussed the racist treatment she received from people that were both inside and outside the royal family—with the press being one of the biggest culprits. These claims were further explored in the documentary “Harry & Meghan.” During the couple’s courtship, one tabloid—the Daily Mail, said Markle was “(Almost) Straight Outta Compton.”

Another, The Daily Star, ran a headline that asked whether Harry would “marry into gangster royalty?” These were just a few of the despicable examples and the pair has sued numerous papers and gossip rags for waging a “ruthless campaign” against them. If Markle had released a botched image of her alongside her children, she would have been eviscerated by British press.

Middleton has found herself in the middle of media scandal, with folks saying that her husband Prince William has cheated, that Middletonherself had an affair, and her very physical well-being is in jeopardy. How she is being picked apart now by the public pales in comparison to the bullying Markle has endured for seven years—but the royals are finally getting a taste of their own medicine.

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