NASTY RUMOURS
Kate Middleton & Prince William ‘are shaken’ by false speculation about their marriage after ‘missing wedding ring’
One insider revealed what the couple think of online conspiracy theories
PRINCE William and Princess Kate are reportedly "shaken" by the shameful false speculation about their marriage.
Unfair opinions about the couple's marriage have spread on social media following Kate's edited Mother's Day picture.
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Kate, 42, apologised on Monday and was said to be “very sad” that the sweet photograph taken by Prince William, 41, had triggered a global furore.
That fracas included conspiracy theories about Kate's whereabouts as she recovers from abdominal surgery.
Royal experts have slammed the "disgusting bile, hateful comments and cheap shots" aimed at Kate.
The Sun's long-time royal photographer Arthur Edwards said Kate will find the jibes "upsetting".
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Friends of the couple told The Sunday Times that the couple were fully aware of the news coverage and outlandish conspiracy theories on social media.
An insider reportedly said that speculation around their marriage was "cruel".
One conspiracy theory spreading was that the couple had split with Kate not wearing her wedding ring in the edited photo.
However, Kate doesn't always wear her engagement ring - the iconic diamond and sapphire band once worn by Princess Diana.
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The social media hysteria and and rampant unfair speculation had left the couple "shaken", the paper reported.
One friend said the Kate and William had hoped and expected their request for privacy to be respected.
They told The Sunday Times: "It's not that they didn't think there would be lots of speculation and interest, but they had confidence that people would give them the space they asked for, which they did for about a month."
While another friend said: "If you want to call out the mistake, it was Kate not telling her team that she'd done it [edited the photo]. But she came out and said sorry.
Relaxed Prince William jokes ‘my wife is the arty one’ as he brushes off Princess Kate’s photo editing saga
"The photo was a misstep: even with something as innocent as that, you should disclose altering it.
"But in the history of image cropping and photo altering to tell a story, a lot of the reaction from picture agencies was hypocritical."
The Sunday Times reported the couple's bubble is currently small with Kate usually even doing the cooking as they live at Adelaide Cottage.
That bubble has been challenged by the conspiracy theories and prying into their private lives.
Now the heir to the throne is worried, friends say, Kate is experiencing what Diana went through.
A royal source also claimed the Princess of Wales could discuss her recovery publicly in the future.
One insider said that the couple were most open when interacting with members of the public and Kate could discuss her health issues on engagements.
Rumours were sparked over the princess' health when William pulled out of a memorial service last month due to a "personal matter".
But, royal fans were then overjoyed when Kate posted a heart-warming picture with her children on Mother's Day.
However, it was shrouded in speculation after experts found the adorable snap had been edited.
Several major photo agencies then withdrew the snap, the first official shot of Kate since abdominal surgery in January, over fears it had been “edited at source”.
The Princess of Wales was said to be “very sad” that the sweet photograph had triggered a global furore.
Despite the recent controversy, it is expected that the royals will still uphold the tradition of releasing a new photograph to mark their children's birthdays.
A pal told The Times that Will and Kate could issue another snap next month to celebrate Prince Louis' birthday on April 23.
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However, nothing has been confirmed.
There has also been no decision as to whether Kate will point the camera or leave it to a professional photographer.
PHOTOSHOP SAGA
Kate is believed to have altered the image three times on a computer before it was posted on social media on Sunday.
Inspection of the original image revealed it was taken on a Canon camera with a 50mm lens.
It had been edited three times on Adobe Photoshop — once on Friday evening and twice on Saturday.
Royal enthusiasts had questioned why Kate wasn’t wearing her wedding ring in the Mother’s Day snap and noticed her other hand was blurry.
Others said daughter Charlotte’s cardigan sleeve seemed to disappear and her skirt was fuzzy.
Some claimed there seemed to be an odd cut in a nearby skirting board.
And in a colour-corrected and lightened version of the image, Kate’s zip appears not to line up.
She apologised on Monday, saying: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.
“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
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