Kate Middleton's Friends Were 'Completely Baffled' She Was Photographed Without Her Wedding Ring in Edited Photo

Kate Middleton fueled ongoing affair rumors when she posted an edited family photo, and fans noticed her sapphire and diamond wedding ring was missing. Kate and Prince William's friends admitted they were surprised to see that the Princess of Wales without the historic item.

“It’s deeply annoying and unhelpful for the palace, but it’s not surprising that the affair rumors are being reheated," the source told an outlet. "What else are people supposed to think when she sends out a photo not wearing her wedding ring?"

In 2019, various platforms began to print that the Prince of Wales cheated on his wife with longtime friend Rose Hanbury, but royal law firm Harbottle and Lewis told British outlets the stories were "false and highly damaging.”

Due to Kate being spotted without her ring, the scandal made headlines, and Stephen Colbert mentioned it in his monologue in an episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

“I’m afraid I’ve got some troubling news about England’s royal family,” Colbert, said on Tuesday, March 12. “Internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband, and the future King of England, William, having an affair.”

Despite the allegations, an insider made it clear that the Prince and Princess of Wales are a tightly-knit unit.

“They are often seen together at school events, and really it is remarkable how one and often both of them will always be at every match, every music concert and every prize giving," the insider shared. "The relationship has always seemed incredibly strong despite the immense pressure they are under, so it’s fair to say we were all completely baffled when the picture came out with the wedding ring missing, especially as it was photoshopped."

"It just seemed guaranteed to get people asking questions about the state of the marriage," they continued.

OK! previously reported royal biographer Katie Nicholl credited the mishap to William and Kate's millennial approach to duties.

"We've gotten used to the princess releasing pictures that she's taken herself, often of her children. It is a very modern way of royal photography," Nicholl told an outlet. "On this occasion, it was the Prince of Wales who took the photograph."

"In this day and age, it's probably quite normal for all photographs to be photoshopped," she continued. "You wouldn't put a magazine cover story out without photoshopping and airbrushing that image, usually."

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Insiders told Nicholl that Kate made minuscule changes to the snapshot.

"My sources at Kensington Palace say that these were minor adjustments, and I think that's a really important detail here," Nicholl said. "We're not talking about superimposing the Princess of Wales into an image because she wasn't well enough to be there. And that's some of the wild speculation that is flying around on the internet at the moment."

"I suppose the real question here is how much digital enhancement was done on this photograph and keen-eyed observers have noticed some unusual things," Nicholl admitted. "Not least the fact that the tree behind them is in full bloom."

Sources spoke to the The Daily Beast.