It was hoped that the Princess of Wales’s decision to reveal her cancer diagnosis would finally put an end to the crazy conspiracy theories being spread in recent weeks.
But despite Kate delivering an emotional video message that touched the hearts of the nation, the bizarre and cruel claims against the 42-year-old continue to gain momentum online.
Social media platforms were urged to clamp down on the vitriol last night as critics claimed the vile trolling had ‘re-victimized’ the cancer-stricken princess and amounted to ‘mafia-like tactics’ to force her to reveal more information .
Within minutes of Kate’s announcement, trolls began spreading bizarre reports that her video was AI-generated, while others criticized her for not making it public sooner.
In the sickening uploads, troll doctor Kate’s heartfelt message was displayed with the faces of Princess Diana or the Duchess of Sussex to prove how easily a deep fake could be created. The Prince of Wales has also been targeted by trolls who have questioned why he didn’t sit next to his wife while she filmed the emotional video.
Kate gave an emotional video message that touched the hearts of the nation as she announced her cancer diagnosis
Within 30 minutes of the broadcast, Christopher Bouzy – an avid supporter of Harry and Meghan – stoked the fire and railed against his 350,000 followers on X.
The tech executive bizarrely claimed Kate’s diagnosis meant recent photos were fake and accused the palace of ‘North Korean’ propaganda.
‘I’m sorry to hear that Kate has cancer, I hope she makes a full recovery. But it is also clear that all three previous photos of her were fake, and the palace tried to cover this up,” he wrote.
Mr Bouzy, who appeared on the Sussexes’ Netflix show, apparently referred to Kate’s Mother’s Day photo, a video of her shopping in Windsor and an image of her being wheeled into a car.
The 48-year-old added: ‘The palace lied, and the British press were happy to help them lie. The countless headlines about the ‘conspiracy theory’, when we knew that much of what was said was true. This is really some kind of North Korean/Trumpian propaganda.”
He then accused Prince William of throwing his wife ‘under the bus’ over the changed Mother’s Day portrait and said he had failed to support her in her announcement.
He was among the conspiracy theorists who circulated a CNN clip, which has since been viewed millions of times, in which a doctor claimed that Kate’s statement was “medically incorrect.”
When asked how cancer can be detected after surgery, Jonathan Reiner said: “With all due respect to the royal family, such a press release makes little medical sense.”
Christopher Bouzy (pictured in the Harry & Meghan Netflix documentary) bizarrely claimed Kate’s diagnosis meant recent photos were fake and accused the palace of ‘North Korean’ propaganda
Dr. Jonathan Reiner claimed that Kate’s statement did not make “medical sense.”
The professor of medicine at George Washington University said such surgeries are preceded by extensive CAT scans and MRIs, adding that it was “highly likely” that the surgical team knew about the cancer before the operation.
Several red-faced celebrities and commentators, including Blake Lively and Kerry Katona, have apologized for their careless comments about Kate. Others have faced pressure to follow suit, including Kim Kardashian, who previously uploaded a photo of herself next to her car with the caption, “On my way to find Kate.”
Paddy Harverson, the former official spokesperson for Kate and the Prince of Wales, said the online attacks on her were the worst he had ever experienced. ‘It’s a kind of permanent doom loop. And it’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” he told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
Imran Ahmed, an expert in countering online extremism, said platforms were guilty of promoting conspiracy theories to keep audiences hooked and sell advertising.
The head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate said: ‘There is an algorithmic acceleration of conspiracy theories, hate and disinformation over accurate information and calls for support because that is what is holding the public captive.’
Within minutes of Kate’s announcement, trolls began spreading bizarre reports that her video was AI-generated, while others criticized her for not making it public sooner.
The princess was ‘revictimized’ for not immediately sharing her personal medical information and was now subjected to ‘mafia-like tactics’, critics say
Paddy Harverson, the former official spokesperson for Kate and the Prince of Wales, said the online attacks on her were the worst he had ever seen
In the sickening uploads, troll doctor Kate’s heartfelt message was displayed with the faces of Princess Diana or the Duchess of Sussex to prove how easily a deep fake could be created
Several red-faced celebrities and commentators have apologized for their careless comments about Kate
He said the princess had been “revictimized” for not immediately sharing her personal medical information and was now being subjected to “mafia-like tactics” to reveal more.
“It is morally outrageous… social media platforms have increased the damage to that family at an already incredibly difficult time,” Ahmed said. His concerns were echoed by Bruce Daisley, Twitter’s former UK and European boss, who said the “serious problem” was how X’s algorithms promote untrustworthy content.
Damian Collins, a Tory MP and chair of the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee, also criticized social media platforms for promoting false content.
“If a clickbait story based on conspiracy theories gets people’s attention, they are more interested in that than in promoting news,” he said.
Leader of the Labor Party Anneliese Dodds criticized tech bosses for failing to take action against the trolls.
She told GB News that the speculation about the princess was ‘lurid’, adding: ‘It must have been extremely distressing.’