<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Royal ruckus</h2>

It should have been an innocuous Mother's Day tweet. A charming photo of Kate MiddletonThe wife of the UK's Prince William, now more often known as the Princess of Wales. She is Britain's future queen. and her three children all with wide smiles, accompanied by an anodyneBland and inoffensive. well-wishing caption.

Then users noticed something was off. Their hair did not behave the way hair should. Bits of clothing seemed to blur into each other. And why did all the kids have their fingers crossed?

Then the real kicker: one by one, international news agencies put out a "kill notification" on the photo, meaning it was being retracted because it had been edited.¹

For 24 hours, no comment from the palace. Speculation ran wild. Some claimed Kate's head had been photoshopped in from another picture.

Then yesterday morning the official account of the Prince and Princess of Wales put out a statement from Kate stating that she had edited the photo herself.²

But the damage was done. Many said it was not believable. Others asked why the palace had published the photo despite such obvious signs of doctoringAltering the appearance of a document or picture to make it misleading. .

It is a calamity for the royals. For weeks, wild rumours have been circulating about Kate's health and whereabouts. Now the royals have just poured fuel on the fire. Once they lost the trust of the public, there was little they could do.

It is not even the first time the Royal Family has been taught this lesson. In 1820, George IVThe King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1820 to 1830. became king and immediately set about trying to divorce his wife Caroline. Most of the country hated him because of his extravagant and dissolute lifestyle. In contrast, Caroline was wildly popular.

So when George accused her of adulteryWhen somebody who is married has a relationship with someone other than their husband or wife. and put her on trial, the public was outraged. They trusted their beloved queen far more than their obnoxiousOffensive, unpleasant or rude. king. In the end the trial had to be halted to prevent a popular uprising, and Caroline remained queen.³

Some thinkers believe that trust is what keeps society going. AnthropologistSomeone who studies human beings and societies. The word "anthropology" comes from the Greek "anthropos", meaning "human". It developed as a subject in Europe in the 19th century, although some regard the Arab historian Ibn Khaldun as the first anthropologist. David Graeber argued that for most of human history we did not buy the vast majority of our goods.⁴

Instead, if you needed a pair of shoes, you would just go and ask for some from your shoe-maker neighbour. Then when you had the opportunity you would pay him back with your own produce - say, once your tomatoes were in season, you would go and give him a bag.

But that relies on a bond of trust between you. He has to be sure that you will give him something in a few months' time.

This might all make the foundations of society seem very shaky. Scottish philosopher David HumeThe Scottish philosopher argued that all human knowledge is acquired through experience and therefore embracing the unknown is a fundamental part of being human. laid out one big problem with trust: the free-rider problemIn economics, a type of market failure when people who benefit from resources do not pay for them, or under-pay. .⁵

He observed that sometimes, a big task needs many people to work individually to get it done. But the temptation for each worker will be to slack off on their bit and leave more work to the others. In a huge project, there will be little way of knowing who is really pulling their weight.

Hume's friend Adam SmithAn 18th-Century Scottish economist often known as the "father of economics". thought he had an answer to this. He argued that the "invisible hand" of the market would take away from those who did not chip in and give to the industrious.⁶

That meant people did not really need to trust each other. They just had to trust that the system would reward them for their hard work.

Others say what really matters is disapproval. Humans, they say, do not like being disliked. If you break someone else's trust you will be shunned by your peers. So in general we prefer to keep our word.

Have the royals lost all trust?

Yes: Doctoring photos is something dictators do - people like Joseph Stalin and Kim Jong Un. It is a form of lying to the public. Now all output from the palace will face fiercer scrutiny.

No: This is really nothing more than a bunch of bored people having fun with a silly situation. Few will have noticed and even fewer really care that the royals lightly touched up a photo.

Or... This story will disappear quickly, but it suggests the royals' PRPublic Relations - the practice of managing how others see a brand or person. operation is not up to scratch. That could become a much more serious problem for the monarchy when the Prince and Princess of Wales inherit the throne.

Kate Middleton - The wife of the UK's Prince William, now more often known as the Princess of Wales. She is Britain's future queen.

Anodyne - Bland and inoffensive.

Doctoring - Altering the appearance of a document or picture to make it misleading.

George IV - The King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1820 to 1830.

Adultery - When somebody who is married has a relationship with someone other than their husband or wife.

Obnoxious - Offensive, unpleasant or rude.

Anthropologist - Someone who studies human beings and societies. The word "anthropology" comes from the Greek "anthropos", meaning "human". It developed as a subject in Europe in the 19th century, although some regard the Arab historian Ibn Khaldun as the first anthropologist.

David Hume - The Scottish philosopher argued that all human knowledge is acquired through experience and therefore embracing the unknown is a fundamental part of being human.

Free-rider problem - In economics, a type of market failure when people who benefit from resources do not pay for them, or under-pay.

Adam Smith - An 18th-Century Scottish economist often known as the "father of economics".

PR - Public Relations - the practice of managing how others see a brand or person.