A media executive and US-China expert has said he "would not be shocked" if China was somehow involved in peddling conspiracies about Princess Kate.
Chris Fenton said that while he does not see much benefit in China meddling in the affairs of the Royal Family, he did say there was a "benefit to disruption" in the UK.
The film producer, whose credits include Blockers, 47 Ronin, Looper and Iron Man 3, said that China benefits from a divide between Israel and the United States following the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
He added that he considers "some sort of turmoil or controversy" in the UK would benefit President Xi's government.
Chris Fenton spoke about the likelihood of China being involved in spreading misinformation about Princess Kate
Reuters/GB News
Speaking about the Princess Kate rumours, he said: "I am intently watching that play out as far as I'm just the spectator.
"And I'm really wishing obviously the best of health to everybody there and, and hoping that it works out for the citizens of the United Kingdom.
"But in terms of China meddling in that, I don't know if they would see much of a benefit to it. So I might say just gut wise, I would, I would think maybe they're not involved in that situation.
"They're probably displaced in other areas that they feel is more of a priority. But on the same side, I wouldn't be surprised they might see some sort of benefit and in dividing the UK over the issue, and creating some sort of turmoil or controversy on a daily basis.
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Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales in November 2023
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"I mean, sometimes that works very much in Beijing's benefit, so I wouldn't be shocked if it is the truth."
On Sunday, it emerged there was growing concern in Whitehall that hostile state actors could be involved in whipping up the social media attacks on the 42-year-old.
A government source told The Telegraph: “Part of the modus operandi of hostile states is to destabilise things – whether that is undermining the legitimacy of our elections or other institutions.
Chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate Imran Ahmed said: "When you’ve got a young lady, the Princess of Wales, who has suffered a medical emergency, you see people flooding in with conspiracy theories, you see them being amplified on social media platforms and pushed to millions and millions of people.
"What really, I think, annoyed me was seeing that she was then being revictimised by being blamed for not having come out immediately."
Speaking about the relationship between the US and China over the conflict in the Middle East, he said: "I think China sees a conflict there and sort of this divide between Israel and the United States is beneficial to them as far as overall hegemony and in the world.
"So does China like to see conflict that can flare up into some sort of world conflict? Absolutely not.
"But there's China like or does Beijing like to see us mired in very difficult situations geopolitically, and draining our resources? I think they would love to see that happen all day long."