Kate Middleton farm shop video fuels new conspiracy theories

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The saga over missing Kate Middleton took a new turn on Monday after the U.K. Sun shared a video of the Princess of Wales visiting a farm shop with Prince William.

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But instead of quelling worry over her whereabouts, the clip fuelled new controversy over the missing princess, who hasn’t been seen in public since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.

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According to The Sun, onlookers described Kate, 42, as looking “happy, relaxed and healthy” when she was spotted shopping near her Adelaide Cottage home in Windsor on Saturday

One person told the outlet: “After all the rumours that had been going round I was stunned to see them there. Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well. The kids weren’t with them but it’s such a good sign she was healthy enough to pop down to the shops.”

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A 38-second video of her excursion was subsequently posted by The Sun and TMZ, which the latter proclaimed is “100% her.”

One of the eyewitnesses who saw the pair, Nelson Silva, told the website: “I noticed a couple choosing loaves of bread and the woman turned her face and I felt like I had seen the face before. It was familiar. I knew it from somewhere.”

He said he recorded the pair to “share with my family.”

“I went to my car and as they came out of the shop, I just filmed them. I think they walked out through a gate out of the grounds. They just vanished and I didn’t see a car. I just wanted to share … and show just how normal they were.”

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Silva added: “Kate looked happy and relaxed. They look happy just to be able to go to a shop and mingle. Kate looked relieved like it was a success going to a shop. It felt natural.”

TMZ examined the metadata in the photo and confirmed that it was taken nearby the Prince and Princess of Wales’ home in Windsor.

But despite TMZ’s assurances that it was, in fact, Kate, questions persisted on social media among followers of the saga.

After he shared a photo of the couple telling followers “she’s obviously recovering well,” British TV personality Piers Morgan observed the “conspiracy theories have increased.”

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“The ear and chin (are) different,” one person commented on his post. “And why are there Christmas lights?” they asked, calling it a “staged video.”

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“They’ve come back with a different body double,” a second person wrote. “In the space of two weeks they’ve trotted out 3 different attempts at #FakeKate. Try again Kensington Palace!”

#KateGate became a top trending item Monday night, with one critic using a meme of Tiffany Gomas (last year’s “crazy plane lady”) to show they aren’t buying the newly released clip.

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The latest development comes after Kate shared a doctored image alongside her three children — Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5 — to celebrate Mother’s Day earlier this month.

The picture was released as public interest in Kate’s whereabouts gripped the internet. Until it had hit social media, the Princess of Wales had not been seen publicly since December.

In the photo, which was shared on Instagram and X, Kate was seen smiling alongside her kids and she also extended her hearty well wishes to other mothers celebrating their special day.

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But online sleuths immediately started to dissect the snap, which was credited to Prince William. For one, Kate wasn’t wearing her wedding ring or any other jewelry.

“That photo of Kate Middleton is so clearly AI,” one person speculated, with another follower describing the drama as “chilling.”

Hours after its release, four major news wire services — Associated Press, Getty Images, Reuters, and AFP — had announced they were pulling the photo from their libraries amid concerns it was manipulated.

Last Friday, the global news director of Agence France-Presse declared that Kensington Palace is no longer a “trusted source.”

Some people on social media have coined a term for all the Kate-related conspiracy theories surrounding her disappearance: “Katespiracy.”

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As the term trended into this week, one person asked: “If you think Kate was the one who edited the picture & knows how to use Photoshop, I have some Blockbuster stores to sell you. The lies have caught up with (the palace) & everything they put out will be heavily scrutinized.”

Rumours that William was in the midst of an affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, also took hold, even becoming the subject of Stephen Colbert’s monologue last week.

A former royal courtier told The Daily Beast that the comedian’s jokes were “deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace.” But they weren’t surprised that the affair rumours have resurfaced. “What else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing her wedding ring?”

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