I don’t think Kate was ‘hounded out of her sick leave’ . She’s gone to the local shops. And looks genuinely happy to be there.
I do think there are plenty of crazies on the internet who love conspiracy theories. And many of them are going to hang onto the conspiracy theories surrounding this, at least until she appears in an official engagement. Fewer though will persist past that point, though of course they will still be some rumbling away in the corners of the internet.
And if anything, that reinforces ( to me) how important it is that any official photos be the real deal (not multiple photoshops). And that people know and understand the difference between what is on Instagram or twitter accounts, and what is ‘news.’
Photoshopping, and news reports frequently using ‘unnamed sources’ ‘sources close to’ ‘friend of’, has to stop. Originally/years ago now, it was used much less frequently, and It was a method for getting very important news out there, and getting eyes on things (a form of anonymous whistleblowing really). But now the method is used so very frequently that it’s become a tool for little more than gossip and achieving agenda. Many people rightfully demand more.
That’s how I’m coming to understand it anyway. I’m no expert but I’m certainly starting to question how it works and how much we can be manipulated.