Shadowy Russian actors spread Princess Kate conspiracies, analysis finds

The conspiracy theories surrounding the recent absence of Kate, the Princess of Wales, provided a ripe opportunity for Russian disinformation actors to sow discord and mistrust, according to an analysis by British security experts. This incident may serve as a worrying preview of how malicious foreign campaigns could seek to inflame tensions and exploit divisive narratives during major upcoming elections.

Researchers at Cardiff University’s Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute identified 45 social media accounts linked to the Russian disinformation operation known as “Doppelganger” that amplified baseless rumors about Kate’s whereabouts before her cancer diagnosis was revealed. While not the originators of the conspiracy theories, these accounts eagerly capitalized on the frenzy.

Their motivations were twofold – to disseminate pro-Russia narratives, especially related to the Ukraine war, by capitalizing on the high engagement around Kate, and to fundamentally undermine trust in institutions like the government, monarchy, and media. “It’s about destabilization,” explained the institute’s director Martin Innes.

The researchers emphasized that Western influencers and social media users were primarily responsible for propagating the conspiracy theories initially, with traditional media also playing a role in amplifying the circus. However, the Russian-linked accounts exploited this existing discourse to insert their own disruptive agendas.

While previous Russian operations directly created fake content, the Doppelganger campaign appears to leverage tactics of replying to and repackaging existing narratives. Experts believe the technology has likely become more sophisticated since Doppelganger’s emergence in 2022.

The rich environment of mistrust and speculation surrounding Kate provided fertile ground for these foreign actors. “It was already being framed in conspiracy terms, so they don’t need to set that frame – it’s already there to exploit,” Innes stated.

As the world heads into a pivotal year of elections, from the U.S. presidential race to votes across Europe and India, experts worry this incident could be a mere preview of how artificial intelligence and coordinated disinformation could inflame social fissures and undermine democratic processes. With global trust in institutions declining and social media enabling armchair investigations, bad actors have ample opportunity to “massively amplify” divisive issues.