The uncomfortable truth about Kate and William that nobody wants to admit

With the memory of their mother still casting a long shadow, both Harry and William are determined to do things their own way. But, asks Tessa Dunlop, after a week of turmoil and many questions left unanswered, does this spell trouble in a world where there are now more palaces than major royal players?

The royal couple attend a ceremonial welcome for the president of Korea in London last November (AP)

There are some who love nothing more than a conspiracy theory, or better still one laced with a whiff of royal scandal; the “disappearance of Kate Middleton” and that Mother’s Day photograph have gripped audiences around the world. Especially in America.

TMZ, the USA’s behemoth showbiz site, insisted the palace has “got caught in a lie … confidence is shot”. Time magazine ran a similar editorial: “The royal family has a trust problem.” Both have a point, but Kensington Palace doesn't see it like that. And nor do Britain’s supposedly attack-dog tabloids.

The same day America demanded accountability, The Sun newspaper urged its readers to “Lay off Kate” and an unusually rueful Daily Mail mused “How did Kate’s photo become a PR disaster?”