The Princess of Wales’s decision to announce her cancer diagnosis was expected to finally put an end to the frenzied conspiracy theories that had been peddled in recent weeks.
But despite Kate delivering an emotional video message that touched the hearts of the nation, outlandish and cruel claims against the 42-year-old have continued to rise online.
Social media platforms were last night urged to clamp down on vitriol, as critics claimed the vile trolling had “re-victimized” the cancer-stricken princess and constituted a “gangster-style tactic” to force her to disclose more information.
Within minutes of Kate’s announcement, trolls began spreading strange posts that her video was generated by AI, while others criticized her for not making it public sooner.
The sickening uploads featured Dr Kate’s heartfelt message with the faces of Princess Diana or the Duchess of Sussex to demonstrate how easily a deepfake can be created. The Prince of Wales has also been the target of trolls asking why he didn’t sit next to his wife while she filmed the emotional video.
Kate delivered an emotional video message that touched the hearts of the nation as she announced her cancer diagnosis.
Fueling the fire 30 minutes into the broadcast, Christopher Bouzy, an avid supporter of Harry and Meghan, ranted to his 350,000 followers on X.
The chief technology officer bizarrely claimed that Kate’s diagnosis meant the recent photos were fake and accused the palace of “North Korea”-style propaganda.
“I’m sorry to hear that Kate has cancer, I hope she makes a full recovery. But it’s also clear that the three previous photos of her were fake and the palace tried to cover it up,” he wrote.
Bouzy, who appeared on the Sussexes’ Netflix show, was apparently referencing Kate’s Mother’s Day photo, a video of her shopping in Windsor and an image of her being driven around in a car.
The 48-year-old added: “The palace lied, and the British press happily helped them lie.” The countless ‘conspiracy theory’ headlines, even though they knew much of what was being said was true. “This is really some kind of North Korean/Trumpian propaganda.”
He went on to accuse Prince William of throwing his wife “under the bus” over the doctored Mother’s Day portrait and said he had not backed her in her announcement.
He was one of the conspiracy theorists who released a CNN clip, which has now been viewed millions of times, in which a doctor claimed that Kate’s statement made “no medical sense.”
When asked how cancer could be found after surgery, Jonathan Reiner said: “With all due respect to the Royal Family, that kind of press release doesn’t make much medical sense.”
Christopher Bouzy (pictured in Netflix’s Harry and Meghan documentary) bizarrely claimed that Kate’s diagnosis meant recent photos were fake and accused the palace of ‘North Korea’-style propaganda.
Dr. Jonathan Reiner claimed Kate’s statement made “no medical sense”
The George Washington University professor of medicine said such operations are preceded by extensive CT scans and MRIs, adding that it was “very likely” that the surgical team knew about the cancer before operating.
Several blushing celebrities and commentators, including Blake Lively and Kerry Katona, have apologized for their careless comments about Kate. Others have faced pressure to do the same, including Kim Kardashian, who previously posted a photo of herself standing next to her car with the caption “on my way to pick up Kate.”
Paddy Harverson, former official spokesman for Kate and the Prince of Wales, said the online attack on her was the worst he had ever witnessed. “It’s kind of a permanent vicious circle. And it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
Imran Ahmed, an expert on countering online extremism, said the platforms were guilty of promoting conspiracy theories to keep audiences hooked in order to sell ads.
The director of the Center for Countering Digital Hate said: “There is an algorithmic acceleration of conspiracy theories, hate and misinformation over accurate information and calls for support because that is what keeps audiences captive.”
He said the princess had been “revictimized” for not sharing her private medical information immediately and was now being subjected to “mafia-style tactics” to divulge more.
“It’s morally outrageous… social media platforms have compounded the harm caused to that family in what is already an incredibly difficult time,” Ahmed said. Bruce Daisley, former head of Twitter in the UK and Europe, echoed his concerns, saying the “serious problem” was how X’s algorithms promote untrustworthy content.
Damian Collins, a Conservative MP who chaired the House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee, also criticized social media platforms for promoting false content.
“If a clickbait story, based on conspiracy theories, captures people’s attention, then they are more interested in that than in promoting news,” he said.
Labor Party chair Anneliese Dodds criticized tech bosses for failing to take action against trolls.
She told GB News that speculation about the princess was “outrageous”, adding: “It must have been extremely distressing.”