Kate Middleton's Friends 'Baffled' By Absence of Her Wedding Ring In Infamous Mother's Day Pic

Kate Middleton's Mother's Day photo fiasco is making the rounds again due to the absence of her wedding ring in the shot.

According to reports, Kate's friends are "completely baffled" by her decision not to wear the ring, which has only led to the resurfacing of Prince William's alleged affair with the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.

The Princess of Wales has yet to clarify why she was without her ring, although she has since apologized to the public for editing the Mother's Day photo.

According to the Daily Beast, Kate's decision not to wear her wedding band in the edited Mother's Day photo has left her and Prince William's friends puzzled.

It comes after "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert claimed that rumors were going around that Prince William was having an affair, adding that this might be the reason for Kate's sudden absence.

With Kate not wearing her ring in the Mother's Day photo, her act has only further fueled the royal affair whispers stemming from William's alleged affair in 2019.

There were rumors that the Prince of Wales was cheating on Kate with the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, Rose Hanbury. InTouch magazine claimed at the time that Kate "immediately confronted" William, who "just laughed it off."

However, royal sources have since shut down the rumors, tagging them as "false and highly damaging."

A friend of William and Kate who spoke to the Daily Beast said, "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."

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

Another source has claimed that Kate's missing wedding ring could be "because she doesn't want it there."

"There's only one way to put an end to it," the insider continued. "Come clean about what's really going on, or risk drowning in a quagmire of their own making."

The edited photo has not only sparked inquiries about Kate's marriage but also prompted concerns regarding her health and recuperation.

Back in January, Kate had undergone surgery in a private hospital to deal with an abdominal issue. After the operation, she stayed for two more weeks at the hospital to recuperate before returning to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Despite weeks since the surgery, Kate has not returned to royal duties or made any public appearances. However, she was recently photographed in a car with Prince William on her way to a "private appointment."

Kensington Palace's decision to keep quiet about the details of the princess's condition also did not help. But, they explained earlier in January that it was Kate's choice to keep it private, which isn't shocking as she has yet to break her silence about the surgery.

The Palace also noted that Kate would return after Easter.

Meanwhile, Kate has since apologized for the Mother's Day picture fiasco in an attempt to calm the British public's uproar.

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C," she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

A few days later, she came under fire again after the Palace released a car photo of her and William. Online users claimed that the shot was "heavily edited" and even gave reasons why they thought so.

Kate has yet to address these new allegations. However, the photographer who took the picture has since come out to say that it was only "cropped and lightened," but "nothing has been doctored."

Ahead of Kate's surgery, Prince William took time away from his royal duties to support her. He also remained with her as she recuperated for some weeks after the surgery but has recently returned to work.

According to reports, the king-in-waiting was seen attending a climate initiative event on Monday, which was held at a multi-sensory tourist attraction named Frameless London.

The Prince of Wales was one of the keynote speakers at the event, informing the audience that "to mobilize the enormous power of innovators, wherever they are in the world." He also said he wants stakeholders to "focus on supporting and developing as many solutions as possible and scale them at speed."

Prior to the climate event, he made an appearance at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey without Kate.