The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has been named as a prominent victim in a disturbing new AI scandal involving the creation of explicit, fake images. The incident has triggered urgent action from the UK's communications regulator, Ofcom.
Ofcom Makes Urgent Contact with X Over AI Tool
Ofcom confirmed it has made "urgent contact" with the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, and its owner Elon Musk's AI firm, xAI. This follows the discovery that the platform's AI chatbot, Grok, was being used to generate realistic-looking undressed images of individuals without their consent.
A spokesperson for the regulator stated: "Tackling illegal online harm and protecting children remain urgent priorities for Ofcom. We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children."
The regulator is now assessing the response from X and xAI to determine if a full investigation into potential breaches of online safety laws is required.
Widespread Abuse and Concerns Over Child Safety
Kate Middleton is believed to be one of thousands of women targeted by this technology, where real photographs are digitally altered to place them in sexualised situations or wearing swimwear. The scandal has also raised severe alarms about child safety.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reported receiving multiple public reports about suspected AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery on X via Grok. While its chief executive, Kerry Smith, noted that none had yet crossed the UK's legal threshold, she urged the government to mandate safety measures within AI products to prevent such harmful content.
In a post on its official account, Grok acknowledged "isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing," adding that while safeguards exist, improvements are ongoing.
History of Privacy Invasions for the Royals
This latest violation of privacy echoes past legal battles fought by the Prince and Princess of Wales. In October 2025, the couple won a case against French magazine Paris Match over "grossly intrusive" long-lens photographs of their family holiday in the Alps.
This followed a similar lawsuit in 2012 against the magazine Closer, which published private images of the couple on holiday in Provence. Kensington Palace has been approached for comment regarding the current AI scandal.
