(AFP / VOZ NEWS) Kensington Palace posted a photoshopped photo of Princess Catherine on Sunday. AFP and other news agencies ended up taking down the photo, which was the first official image released since her surgery in January.
In the photo, Kate is surrounded by her three children on Mother's Day in the United Kingdom.
However, close examination shows that the 42-year-old princess's left hand is misaligned with her sleeve, calling into question the authenticity of the photo.
After initially sharing the photo released by the palace, the Associated Press (AP), Reuters and AFP agencies decided to take it down.
"It has come to light that the Handout issued by Kensington Palace today of Kate and the kids had been altered, therefore it was withdrawn from AFP systems," the agency said in a statement. Before this clarification, several media outlets, including Voz Media, had already published articles with the picture from the British Royal House.
The AP agency said the photo had been withdrawn because upon “closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image."
The palace initially did not respond to AFP's requests for clarification about the photo. Subsequently, Voz Media verified that Kensington still has the photograph posted on its social media accounts. Of course, on platforms like X, users have been posting about these alleged alterations.
Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.
Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C
📸 The Prince of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/6DywGBpLLQ
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 10, 2024
Several media outlets were surprised that Kate wasn't wearing her wedding ring. She married Prince William, heir to the British throne, in 2011.
Kate Middleton acknowledges the manipulation and apologizes
Princess Catherine of Wales apologized Monday for the photo manipulated and published on Sunday, which was withdrawn by international agencies when it was discovered that it was retouched.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused," the princess wrote in a statement.
Long absence and speculation about her health
The photo was shared days after the princess's long and unusual absence. For the last several weeks, there has been speculation about her health.
The palace seemingly hoped the recent picture would answer many people's questions, especially after the American tabloids shared some candid pictures of the princess at an event in June.
According to the palace, the image was taken by Prince William "earlier this week" and posted on the couple's official social media accounts.
The picture was captioned, "Thank you for your wishes and continued support over the last two months. I wish you all a happy Mother's Day." She signed off with a "C" for Catherine.
Questions
The statement about Kate's recent surgery has raised many questions and even criticism. It differs from Buckingham Palace's stance on transparency regarding the king's recent cancer diagnosis.
The photoshopped photo could fuel those doubts, especially since Catherine's last public appearance dates back to the royal family's Christmas mass in Sandringham, in eastern England, two and a half months ago.
Kensington announced on January 17 that Kate had undergone a "scheduled" abdominal surgery. They didn't specify the reason but said it was noncancerous. It assured that the princess would not resume her official activities before Easter.
Twelve days later, the palace reported that the princess had returned to her home in Windsor.
Since then, the palace has not received any further statements, except for a brief statement at the end of February when it announced that she was "fine," after she canceled a public engagement for "personal reasons."
But this week, the palace's communication strategy fell apart when the press published on Monday a picture of Kate sitting in her mother's car wearing sunglasses.
The photo was not released in the British press, per the official request to respect the family's privacy during the princess's recovery.
The next day, the Ministry of Defense mentioned on one of its websites that Catherine will participate in a military event on June 8 related to the anniversary of Charles III.
Her office at Kensington Palace did not confirm her presence and several sources said that they were not previously consulted by the government.
