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The prince and princess are still together. Prince William and Kate Middleton responded to breakup rumors after her photo editing drama, which consisted of a picture of her without her wedding ring. The Prince and Princess of Wales sparked split rumors on Sunday, March 10Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom—when the couple shared a photo of Kate and their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—on their official Instagram account.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C,” Kate captioned the photo, which was taken by William at their home in 2024. After the photo was posted, however, many fans noticed several suspicious details in the picture, including Kate’s missing wedding and engagement rings.
“Where’s her wedding ring? William hasn’t been wearing his either 🤔👀” a user commented. Another user wrote, “It is strange that she is not wearing her wedding ring… especially for this photo that they had to release to stop the rumours… they wouldn’t miss that detail… it is either an old photo that wasn’t taken to release for this purpose or something up with their marriage…” One more user commented on how the photo looked AI-generated (more on that later). “But where’s the wedding ring in that fake AI hand? 🧐,” the user wrote.
Other users, however, defended William and Kate, explaining that Kate likely wasn’t wearing her wedding ring to be more comfortable after her recent surgery. (The Princess of Wales underwent a planned abdominal surgery in January 2024.)
“I think people need to get a life. She’s recently had surgery and recovered. Like many of us we take our photo and filter them. I’m sure there’s lots of married that don’t always wear there wedding ring. I think it’s a beautiful family photo,” one user wrote. Another commented, “I think some people need a bit of common sense and a little bit of respect. She’s had surgery… Anyone else probably wouldn’t be looking their best. So an older photo has been edited and used. So what. Their Xmas photos are taken months in advance. The palace have said time and time again she would not be back to official engagements until after Easter. Prince William does not wear a wedding ring. Princess Catherine does, however this could be covered through the editing process for whatever reason or taken off after recovering from her surgery. Can everyone chill out and stop loosing their minds? Personally I am more concerned about King Charles and his actual diagnosed illness.”
So did William and Kate break up? The answer is no. After speculation that they had split following Kate’s missing wedding and engagement rings, William and Kate seemed to subtly respond to the rumors on Monday, March 11, when they were photographed together leaving Windsor Castle. In a photographs obtained by The Daily Mail, William and Kate could be seen together in a car as they left Windsor Castle for Westminster Abbey, where William was attending the annual Commonwealth Day service. The Daily Mail reported that Kate, who didn’t attend the service, was headed to a private appointment instead.
The photo showed Kate looking out of the car window as William appeared to read some notes on his phone. The car, a blue Range Rover, later dropped William at Westminster Abbey at around 2:45 p.m., where he joined senior royals like Queen Camilla and Princess Anne for the service. The car ride was the first major time Kate has been photographed in public since her surgery in January. She wasn’t expected to be seen in public after Easter on March 31, however, fans believe that her early appearance was intentional following conspiracy theories over her surgery and her Mother’s Day Instagram photo, which Kate later admitted was edited.
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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024
“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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” Kate wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on March 11 following claims she edited her Mother’s Day photo. A source told People at the time that Kate made “minor adjustments” to the “amateur, family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales” and that the couple’s intention was to “to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day,” The source also confirmed that William and Kate were still together. “The family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day,” the insider said.
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