Andy Cohen Is a Kate Middleton Truther

Reality TV producer and show host Andy Cohen has expressed disbelief that recently released video footage of the Princess of Wales is genuine, as conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts continue to circulate online.

Cohen took to his official social media accounts on Monday, responding to footage of the royal published by TMZ and The Sun newspaper, which was reportedly captured during a shopping trip with Prince William near the couple's Windsor home on March 16.

"That ain't Kate....," he posted to both X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, going on to upload a screenshot from the footage with an Instagram poll to his 5.5 million followers, asking: "Is this Princess Kate?"

Cohen's rejection of the footage comes as it sparked a similar reaction from social media users, who shared alternative theories, mainly suggesting that the figure walking alongside Prince William is not the princess.

Newsweek approached Kensington Palace and representatives of Cohen via email for comment.

This is not the first time that Cohen has weighed in on the speculation that has surrounded Kate since she has taken time out of the public eye to recover from abdominal surgery.

The conspiracy theories relating to the princess were heightened in March when she was forced to apologize for editing an official portrait of herself released to mark Mother's Day in Britain, which also doubled as the first official photo since her surgery.

Appearing on his Bravo network Watch What Happens Live talk show on March 12, Cohen raised the subject with his guest, John Oliver.

"I have to ask you," he said. "What the f*** is going on with Kate Middleton?"

Cohen has made several references to royal family members and related dramas over the years and in 2022 he was interviewed by Meghan Markle for an episode of her Archetypes podcast.

The duchess spoke to Cohen from his perspective as a producer of female centric reality shows, notably the Real Housewives franchise, and how women relate to them.

During their interview, Meghan joked at the speculation that she would one day join the Real Housewives following her split from the monarchy in 2020.

"You mean really that this is my audition for the Real Housewives in Montecito? Is this the moment?" she joked with Cohen, who said: "You don't have to audition, we'll build the show around you. How about that?"

Meghan then firmly put the rumor mill to rest, saying: "There will be no reality show!"

After the podcast was released, Cohen wrote in his memoir, The Daddy Diaries, that he was surprised after listening to the final result that Meghan spoke negatively about Real Housewives and the "caricatures" it presents of women, without raising them with him in his interview.

"Meghan Markle's podcast came out and it was interesting to see how they produced it. She narrates it, which is an effective device, especially if you're cutting an hour down to 20 minutes, which she did," he wrote.

"However, in that narration, she talks about what a tough conversation this was for her, mentioning that she has conflicting feelings about the Housewives. I think it was interesting that she said it in the narration but didn't discuss it with me head-on. Wouldn't that have made for a more dynamic conversation?"

As theories and speculation about Kate and her health continue to circulate, fans and critics are looking with anticipation towards her first official public appearance since her surgery back in January.:

At the time of the surgery, Kensington Palace announced that: "Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

There is a chance that the princess could join other senior members of the royal family for their annual Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle on March 31, however, any appearance is not expected to be confirmed by the palace until closer to the time.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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