A BBC reporter says a recent video of the Princess of Wales at a farm shop amid speculation over her whereabouts was a 'lookalike' and not the real Kate Middleton.
Sports presenter Sonja McLaughlan says the woman photographed walking alongside Prince William over the weekend was 'obviously not Kate'.
Her comments have added more fuel to the conspiracy theorists who claim there is something suspicious about the Princess of Wales' disappearance from the public eye after undergoing abdominal surgery in January this year.
At the same, the British Prime Minister's office has called on the public to "get behind" the princess as she recovers from abdominal surgery, and after news broke on Wednesday that a "major" data breach occured at the London Clinic, where she was treated.
Video footage and photographs emerged on Monday of the 42-year-old smiling and walking during a shopping trip with Prince William near Windsor Castle.
The royal couple were filmed on a mobile phone from someone inside a vehicle as they walked through the shop's car park. Their Windsor home is in the same area as the shop, and their appearance reportedly came as a surprise to passers-by and after months of rampant speculation over Kate's health following the operation.
It was the first time she had been seen publicly since her abdominal surgery and the Mother's Day photo editing scandal, which she was forced to apologise publicly over after various news organisations ordered the photo to be withdrawn due to signs of digital editing.
Mclaughlan commented on a video comparing the video to past images of the princess.
"It's disturbing that newspapers are reporting this as a fact," she wrote. "It's so obviously not Kate".
"Some newspapers are reporting it as fact. But it's not her. No conspiracy theorist but all very odd."
She also suggested Prince William could have been replaced by an actor in the footage.
Over the past two months, rumours have swirled online that Kate was either in a coma, or had been involved with a secret divorce from Prince William amid claims he had had an affair.
In a rare move, Kensington Palace and Prince William have both commented on the rumours, and repeated the initial statement that Kate was recovering after surgery and would be resuming public duties some time after Easter
Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister's office has waded into the backlash against Kate Middleton.
It is now calling on the public to "get behind" the princess as she continues to recover, following a "major" data breach at the London Clinic hospital where she underwent surgery.
It comes after an investigation was launched on Wednesday into allegations a London Clinic staff member had tried to access her private medical records.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesperson told local media British citizens need to "get behind the Princess of Wales".
Asked about the data breach, the spokesperson said: "Clearly there are strict rules on patient data that must be followed".
"I think we all want to get behind the Princess of Wales, and indeed the Prince of Wales, and we obviously wish her the speediest of recoveries," they added.
