Do the Royal Family just think we are really really stupid?

[Bex5490]

Just that really. From Harry’s car chase to Prince Andrew being at a Pizza Express kid’s party.

And now we’re supposed to believe that the country’s biggest PR machine in the middle of a media storm just let Prince William take a casual Mothers Day pic on his iPhone, let the missus edit it and then post it to the world?

😒

And you also.

Yes, I should have proofed better. Part of my day is spent working with asylum seekers. People are generally understanding when you slip up when they see you are trying to help.

@IloveAslan For someone who is coming across as desperate to appear too superior to be bothered by trivalities such as the royal family, you do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time reading and commenting on threads about them. As was explained by a PP, the royal family is part of the government structure of the UK. If you live elsewhere, even if it is Canada or some such place, it still doesn't carry the same relevance as it does to the people of the UK.

I guess I need to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that given the headlines and MN threads, outside of europe it looks like british people are generally conspiracy minded about this. It really isn't the case of the people I know. I live in the UK and have not heard a single person speculate on Catherine's condition or wonder where she is. It was only mentioned to me in the context of who would be taking over duties while the King recovered. I do expect to hear comments on the photos now they've made the news, but honestly, to paint the entire country as conspiracy frenzied is a bit mad. It would be like me acting as if all Americans think that the Biden elections were rigged, or all Australians think that the 2022 federal elections were part of the great reset.

Edit to clarify: by the way you're talking I assume you're refering to the coma / affair murder / body double conspiracies. It isn't a conspiracy to point out that Catherine and William are behaving unusually and that the photo is very strange in the context of reassuring the public - it is perfectly normal to ask why.

👏👏👏

I think it's human nature to want to know what precedure PoW had done, just a bit of nosiness. I'm not ashamed of that. They didn't hesitate to tell us about her HG during all her pregnancies, why is this different?

It's definitely normal to not want to be lied to, and editing a photo is lying IMO.

The fact they're being so secretive about it all is making people even more curious.

I don't usually contribute to threads about the RF, but it seems a little unfair that people are being attacked on here regarding their opinions. We're all entitled to an opinion.

the quickest way to resolve all of these issues would be for Kensington Palace to arrange for the broadcasters to capture a few sequences, say, of Kate with her family, walking around the garden.
A little earlier than planned, such a photo op would reassure those concerned for her wellbeing, and confound those who spread spurious gossip, by proving that the original press releases at the beginning of the year were accurate – she’s been undergoing medical treatment and is now recovering well. It might end the confusion,
What a load of shite.

@Bex5490

Imagine you’re walking down the sidewalk, and a large group starts following you step for step. When you speed up, they speed up - when you slow down, they slow down - but they follow you relentlessly, no matter where you go, no matter how far.
Would you find that unnerving?
The authorities in New York released a statement some time ago saying that Meghan and Harry’s pursuers did just that and that they had grounds to be charged.
It wasn’t poor PR, but rather a poor choice of words.

The same here.
I've no idea what's going on but there's something going on.
All this fuss over a photograph. 🤷‍♀️

Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post. Oddly enough Kindle offered me " Finding Freedom" for $1.99 as a Kindle deal on Sunday.

Absolutely! They said she was having abdominal surgery and that she wouldn’t be done any duties until Easter at least. What is wrong with people! We know why the press don’t like it; the Wales’s take photos and post them thus depriving them of making money.

Yes. & its fueled by people like mumsnetters who beleive the royal family personally check the posts of everybody online everyday so you cant just say something about them

I rarely read or comment on threads about the RF, and where did I say I was too superior to be bothered about them? I actually like the RF. However, when I am told that one of them has had surgery and won't be back on deck until Easter that's all I need to know, and I certainly don't sit at home pondering on what that actually means, and dreaming up conspiracy theories.

How can they be part of the government structure? They don't really get involved in politics and are hardly ruling the country - especially the Princess of Wales.

Incidentally, I do have actual friends in the UK - not one of them has even mentioned Kate, so it seems that there are some citizens with a modicum of common sense, if not many!

This was fine, no one expected to see her till after Easter as she's recovering.

I don't think most people expected a mother's day photo, so why suddenly put one out, mid recovery, then doctor it.

No one would have thought, oh, she's recovering from major surgery till after Easter, but we need a mother's day pic.

There was really no need.

By providing the photo, they went against "never explain" and it backfired.

I suspect we'll all find out before the next week.

You don't sit at home pondering, but seek out threads such as this one.

Have you mentioned to your friends about being on the threads?

Them not mentioning it to you doesn't mean they're not all over the threads like you are too.

How can they be part of the government structure? They don't really get involved in politics.....

You cant be serious!

Perhaps some members of the public are really really stupid, and rude.
To not leave a person alone to recover a medical procedure is very stupid.
To judge poorly a person for making their own picture as they would like it to be for a public thank you image is very rude.

Kate could have released a thank you for the Happy Mothers' Day greetings, which was a photo of a hand sketched or embroidered picture of her family. Not accepting the Artistic License of a personal photo shown as a gift of thanks is rude.

Altered Princess Kate Photo Creates PR Problem for Royal Family - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

That's the New York Times 10 hours ago. They have been running stories about it each times it's updated. I subscribe to both the New York Times and Washington Post. I don't understand why you need to feel as if the major US papers are above such news, and are talking about subways instead.

@IloveAslan

" How can they be part of the government structure? They don't really get involved in politics and are hardly ruling the country - especially the Princess of Wales."

Just that sentence alone shows you really don't know much about what you are talking about. I'm not from the UK either, but I do at least research a subject a little before I start to have an opinion on it.

I don’t believe that even with my untrained eyes, the eye makeup is different for starters. The under eye is the most obvious.

Yes, OP, that's exactly what they think. I'd think the same if my family and I were funded completely by a non-complaining, worshipful public. Yes, I'll have another yacht, please, make sure it matches the rest of the fleet. 👑

People on this thread give a fantastic insight to obsessive and poor mental health. Truly hope the majority of you get help and support.

@MorningSunshineSparkles Oh I don't know. I think it's more amusing and insightful to see posters like you come to these threads to give a fantastic demonstration of their superiority complex.

The "don't you have anything better to think about" posters really don't get it.

I had no interest in Kate's illness, beyond vaguely thinking that's a long time for a young woman to be out of action, it must be something quite big. I don't ever comment on RF threads, have no interest at all in their personal lives. I was very happy to leave her be until Easter or whenever she felt fit to return.

Then they put out a faked photo. They didn't need to out anything out at all. My interest is in the car crash that's followed and the astonishingly badly way the whole PR thing has been handled. The fact that this institution which we pay for is clearly lying about something. I'm not a republican by any means, but I don't expect to be lied to. I think it's absolutely right the public and press holds people in public positions to account. Who else will?

This is what I've though after reading Kate's explanation on X and the whole story is just so bizarre! The Royals/their PR machine seems to be out of touch with reality if they expect us to believe that. Some of us do know how to take pictures and edit them, there are tons of articles on removing objects from photos or literally adding people that are no longer there to pictures (like here), and let me tell you, NONE of the examples are done that badly, which means anyone could spend some time learning these tricks and performing them properly. You'd think the RF has the means to hire professionals to help them cover up for something if they needed to. Very suspicious.

Have to say I wasn’t that interested in this story until the photo happened, and purely because it was crazy to expect us to believe that Kate edited it. I’ve just seen the article in the NY times pointing out the many editing fails in the photo (floor tiles, hair, zips). At the very least it’s a composite of quite a few photos. It’s completely bizarre, and Kate was forced to say she did it?!