BACK in the deep past, it’s thought our ancient ancestors consumed kings and queens, literally ate them, probably after death. At the root of this ‘regiphagy’ there likely lay some strange belief that royal power could be transferred through an act of cannibalism.

We clearly haven’t changed very much, given the disturbing way British society is wolfing down the story of Catherine, Princess of Wales and her photoshopped pictures.

Once again, as a republican, I find myself feeling sympathy for a royal. I don’t hate the individuals in the royal family, I hate the institution. The royals themselves are human beings like you and I; they feel the same pain and shame we do. So, it’s hard not to empathise with Kate, pilloried and mocked as she is now, a million times a minute on social media across the world.

In a way, this is a nothing-story. A celebrity - for what’s royalty but the final rung on the showbiz ladder - photoshopped a picture. Big deal. Who cares?

Let’s try to exercise some empathy and consider why Kate might have edited the image. She’s a woman whose every move is studied like a specimen under a microscope. She was ill and underwent an operation. She then came under intense scrutiny for not being in the public eye. Soon, most of Britain was making jokes about her ‘disappearance’.

Catherine, Princess of Wales lives her life in the public eye (Image: free)

I’m trying hard not to be too po-faced here. The jokes were funny. I made some too. But unlike Kate, I wasn’t sitting at home - albeit that home is a palace - and reading this stuff.

Nor was all of it funny, or intended to be funny. Some........

© Herald Scotland