Kate Middleton’s ‘doctored’ image — another blow to the monarchy

As the most social media savvy among the current crop of British royalty, who has always posted spontaneous moments on her timelines, Kate admitted that she did “occasionally experiment with editing” like most amateur photographers. What she had not bargained for was the UK media’s ability to find inconsistencies in the Mother’s Day photo she had posted of herself surrounded by her children. The “all-is-well” moment turned into her worst PR nightmare as memes followed and questions were raised about whether it was royal tradition to manipulate their picture-perfect lives. Even her honest apology, signed off with the very commoner-friendly letter “C” instead of her royal title, didn’t turn the tide of public opinion.

Many would wonder why people around the world are still hung up about the British royalty and its indiscretions when they have lost relevance even in cultural discourse. At best, the monarchy is a floating tableau of what once was. At worst, it’s a tourist showpiece. However, what stops it from becoming a caricature is the myth-making, its fairytale remoteness, its assumed virtuosity over decorum and its institutional gravitas. That’s why its inmates are imprisoned by rules that preserve it and exposed when they break them. By choosing not to share the truth, Kate, who had artfully plebeianised herself, failed the constituency she had cultivated. Instead, she ended up being another royal placeholder.

Yet, if any royal could endear herself by being human and not a rebel like her brother-in-law Prince Harry and wife Meghan, it would be Kate. Truth be told, she had so far managed a middle ground and held her own despite the odds. She was unfazed by the paparazzi releasing her private pictures with Prince William in the early days of their relationship. Constantly compared to her mother-in-law, the iconic Princess Diana, she refused to play to the gallery and shunned flamboyance. Instead, she role-played her motherhood to a T. At the same time, faced with the hostility of the British taxpayer over palace expenses, Kate constantly tried to remain true to her origins as a commoner. That’s why she chose the more democratic platform of social media to present herself over traditional news media.

She has been interactive at public events and unafraid to show her sporty side, playing tennis with legends. She has seemed eager and sincere in her outings and appeared trim and fit. Which is why her still unidentified illness has attracted so much attention. Assuming she had a health problem, Kate could have won over many of her generation by admitting to it and raising awareness about the condition from a position of strength. The princess would have had all the support and made a space in everybody’s hearts as the face of a public health campaign. But by giving into an appearance-conscious world that feeds off reels, she unravelled her insecurity by carefully constructing an image that would never fall off the radar.

If anything, she has aggravated the crisis of credibility in the monarchy, already torn asunder by Harry and Meghan and speculation about Prince William’s growing closeness with Lady Rose Hanbury, a pedigreed aristocrat. Compared to King Charles walking out of the hospital after being treated for an enlarged prostate, with Queen Camilla by his side, Kate’s hush-hush exit and entry and refusal to be clicked live definitely hints at a cover-up.

There have been larger implications too. By editing her photo in times of deepfakes, Kate has engaged in a practice that most celebrities use to look and appear a certain way for social media approval. Does Kate not believe in her sense of self-worth and personality and needs a virtual camouflage? By choosing to retreat into the shadows, the princess has walked right back to the gilded cage she had broken out of.

rinku.ghosh@expressindia.com