An online storm has engulfed Kate Middleton. Rumour and speculation have swirled ever since she underwent planned abdominal surgery at the start of the year. Kensington Palace said from the beginning that she wasn’t expected to resume Royal duties until after Easter but that did nothing to stop the pressure mounting over a lack of public appearances.

Over the weekend the Palace released a photo of the Princess of Wales with her children but then people started noticing odd details. Soon the press agencies that distributed the photo had issued a “kill notice” - over concerns that it had been digitally altered or edited. Eventually Kate issued a statement on Instagram, admitted “experimenting” with editing and apologised for any “confusion” the picture may have caused.

This PR disaster has done nothing to quell the rumours.

In this episode we break down the timeline of the story so far, the BBC’s Jacqui Wakefield looks into how the image may have been edited and we get some PR tips from crisis management expert Molly McPherson.

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