image source, The Sun
The British newspaper The Sun published a video clip showing Princess Kate Middleton with Prince William in a store near Windsor Palace
- Author, Marianna Spring
- Role, BBC counter-misinformation correspondent
“It can’t be Kate! This is her doppelgänger!”
The first video I saw on social media this morning was about the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.
That video showed an amateur investigator promoting a false conspiracy theory claiming that the last circulating photo of the Princess of Wales in a farm shop near Windsor with her husband – which was published by the British newspaper The Sun last Monday – is in fact of a woman similar to Middleton.
There is no evidence to suggest that this speculation is correct, but it is the latest example of false conspiracy theories spreading on social media about Kate Middleton’s health.
The Princess of Wales’s absence from public life, after undergoing abdominal surgery last January, has raised real questions and wild allegations.
Kensington Palace said that the princess is recovering and is expected to return to her public duties after Easter.
This social media craze, to which the media also contributes, can cause harm to family and friends and, more broadly, erode public trust.
Recently, social media witnessed active conversations about Middleton, after it emerged that a Mother’s Day photo of the princess and her children, which the palace posted on social media, had been edited. The princess later apologized for the edited photo, saying that she bears responsibility for editing it.
image source, Prince of Wales
A Mother’s Day photo of the princess and her children sparked widespread controversy after it turned out to be modified, with photo agencies deciding to ban it
There is no indication that the princess’s latest video clip has been changed or modified in any way, but it has nonetheless sparked more conspiracy theories and ridicule.
Not only did I receive viewing recommendations on TikTok for clips about the “Kate-like” conspiracy theory, but this content also appeared on the X app. Both sites’ algorithms push content based on what they think users might want to see.
Over the course of the day, dozens of videos and other posts promoting the same conspiracy theory were recommended on both my TikTok and X apps.
It found that in less than 24 hours, false claims about “Kate’s lookalike” had received more than 12 million views on X, and more than 11 million views on TikTok, according to the social media sites’ own data.
Who are the users who shared these theories?
On the X app, these accounts were often based in the United States and were dedicated to posting about the Princess of Wales almost around the clock. Many of them were verified with a blue mark, indicating they had been verified. The blue verification mark can now be purchased in exchange for your content gaining greater fame and importance on the social media site.
I’ve corresponded with dozens of TikTok users posting videos of Middleton around the world, many of whom were zooming in and analyzing the Princess of Wales’s facial features, comparing them to photos of her lookalike.
image source, Getty Images
A video clip on the TikTok application about a theory similar to Kate, by an American activist named Esmeralda, achieved 2.9 million views.
Esmeralda told me that she had never previously published content about the royal family, but was prompted to do so by a matter of “genuine public interest.”
The American activist says: “I usually try to respond to people who make allegations, and summarize what is said in general, whether I agree with the same theory or not.”
She also adds: “If I discovered that there was a specific theory that people did not know about, I would not have a problem filming a video in which I would say: Hello, this theory has now been debunked and here is why..”
Carrie, a social media activist in Germany who shared the same conspiracy theory, told me she doesn’t “feel guilty” about her TikTok posts.
“In my view, the greatest good is freedom of expression, and freedom of expression should also be allowed on social media,” Carey says.
The media has also been accused of repeating and sharing evidence-free conspiracy theories published online. On social media, the content is extremely extreme, reaching millions of people, a much larger number than traditional media in many cases.
Although there is no indication that the footage of the princess shopping with her husband has been edited in any way, investigators continue to share videos questioning this, which has led to millions of views and gained new followers as well.
According to TikTok’s guidelines, the social media site does not allow “misleading or false content that may cause significant harm to individuals or society, regardless of intent.”
The site previously said it “reduces the reach of content that promotes conspiracies” about the royal family and other powerful groups who may be subject to sinister plots without evidence.
The “X” application did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. The app says in its guidelines that defending and respecting the user’s voice is one of its core values.
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