[AOB]

Unsurprisingly, the Mail and others are now in full moralising mode, furiously pointing their fingers at those who they accuse of promoting conspiracy theories (Owen Jones getting it in the neck. WTF?!) Obviously Mail Online completely ignores its own role in this sorry episode but what baffles me is that most online commentators appear to be utterly oblivious to the Mail's hideous dishonesty, double standards and cynicism. Quite incredible.

I was thinking similar about the media in general yesterday when watching TV news . It's remarkable how self unaware they are. On those 24 hour channels especially, when it comes to a major Royal item, it basically turns into a TV version of Twitter, reporters and guests for hours on end speculating and guessing. Then yesterday it's "look over there at those social media types and their frenzy".

I thought the same last year with the Nicola Bulley disappearance. Morning, noon and night it was the main news item. Yet they completely detached themselves from any responsibility for the speculation and theories, or for people turning up at the scene. Nothing to do with them, no, it's all social media's fault.

[Andy McDandy]

I am justifiably concerned about the nation's sweetheart and am considering all the possibilities.

They are....you know the score.

[Watchman]

And if the final possibility is reached, we’ll be in another Paris tunnel scenario

[Youngian]

Private Eye is going to have a busy week collating. Utterly shameless gas lighters

[kreuzberger]

Are they running a pull-out, pin-up, commemorative Vaccine-Special this weekend just to show that they are pretty much on a par with The Lancet?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Thick cunts.

[Youngian]

Like crack whores in a lay by, Mail readers will swallow anything

[The Weeping Angel]

Yes I do think people indulging in conspiracy theories on social media deserve a lot of criticism this wasn't just speculation this was full deragned stuff from William murdered Kate to he's planning to replace her with Rose Hanbury because he's suddenly discovered she's a commoner.

[Andy McDandy]

If you're a public figure, you can expect public attention. You get the pay-offs and the piss offs, and in her case it was a conscious choice. Not so much her husband and kids though. But again they could step out of the public eye. Nowhere is it written that a royal must do anything. The entire deal with them and us is essentially voluntary.

And I didn't see any malice, just people taking the piss. Some funnier than others. And once the news came out, the laughs pretty much stopped.

[kreuzberger]

These conspiracy theories were largely just the odd random twat on the X, and I doubt that many people could quote them aside from perhaps seeing a drive-by-posting.

Still, they serve as a diversion from the flushing khazi that is Derry Street & co.

[The Weeping Angel]

It wasn't just people being curious or taking the piss it was people sharing demented conspiracy theories saying that William had killed her for example then we get nonsense like this.

[satnav]

Yesterday Kate requested privacy, yet tomorrow's Sun on Sunday has a big picture of her on the front page followed by another 9 pages of news about her.

[davidjay]

Yesterday Kate requested privacy, yet tomorrow's Sun on Sunday has a big picture of her on the front page followed by another 9 pages of news about her.

Followed in Monday's Sun by demands to leave her alone.

[Philip Marlow]

The ability of British media outlets to extricate themselves from any semblance of blame never fails to impress. Chutzpah thy name is Good Morning Britain!

[Youngian]

I understood online conspiracies perpetrated by the Russian state were Remoaner fantasies.
We should at least welcome those in power confirming their existence.

DEPUTY PM OLIVER DOWDEN TO WARN OF CHINA CYBER THREATS AS 'SENIOR UK POLITICIANS TARGETED' https://www.moreradio.online/news/watch ... -targeted/

[Andy McDandy]

How the hell does taking the piss out of the royal family destabilise Britain? If that were the case the country would be like a collapsing bouncy castle by now.

"Wills loves it the hard way" is not generally followed by "to the barricades, comrades!", but with "ha ha, the dirty bastard".

[Youngian]

Mrs Chumley is about to understand what the Streisand Effect is for pursuing undercover FSB agent Stephen Colbert

Rose Hanbury served talk show host Stephen Colbert with a legal notice over his joke about the rumors she had an affair with Prince William and could take further action to squash it.
https://x.com/usweekly/status/177121298 ... Dkr8MiQKBg

[Watchman]

Oh for fucks sake

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals ... nosis.html

[satnav]

It looks to me that Richard Eden has published two articles about the royals today. The first one was about William meeting Carole in a pub and in the second article he is advocating honours for Carole and Mike. Surely the two things are linked.
William is clearly trying to keep his in-laws sweet.