The Princess of Wales has apologized for altering the Mother’s Day photograph

A number of international news organizations have recalled a modified official photograph that the Princess of Wales, Catherine, has expressed her regret for and accepted responsibility for.
Kate expressed her regret for “any confusion” that the photograph may have caused following her “experiment” with photo alteration, which led to increased scrutiny for Kensington Palace and increased misunderstanding regarding Kate’s prolonged absence from the public spotlight.

It was the first official picture of Kate after she underwent stomach surgery in January, and it was released on Sunday to celebrate Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom.

Within a few hours of the photograph being made public by Kensington Palace, four of the most prominent picture agencies sent “kill notices,” expressing their fear that the photograph had been altered.

According to an initial analysis of the image by CNN, there are at least two locations that seem to exhibit some indications of potential manipulation, including Princess Charlotte’s sleeve cuff and a zipper on the left side of the Princess of Wales’ jacket.

One of the things that Catherine said about X was, “Like many other amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any confusion that may have been caused by the family photos that we published yesterday.

It is highly unlikely that the brief statement will be able to put the questions around the photograph to rest. In addition, the palace did not disclose any additional information regarding the features of the image that Catherine was attempting to edit, nor did they specify whether the picture that was released was a composite that included various images taken during the same shoot.

The practice of superimposing multiple images in order to produce a composite is not an unusual one; however, photo agencies, which are responsible for distributing photographs to news sources all over the world, have stringent limits on editing and normally only allow very modest adjustments to be made to photographs.

Royals are coming under increasing pressure

On Mother’s Day, the family has a tradition of releasing a family portrait; however, this year’s photo was released against the backdrop of mystery and confusion regarding Kate’s extended absence following her procedure in January.

These questions were momentarily answered on Sunday when Kensington Palace disclosed that the photograph was shot by William, Prince of Wales. Kensington Palace stated that the photograph had been released.

The resulting dispute, however, served merely to make the drama more intense. As the sun was setting on Sunday evening, several prominent picture agencies distributed “kill notices,” which instructed their clients to refrain from utilizing the photograph. Prior to the identification of problems with it, it had received prominent placement on the front pages of several newspapers in the United Kingdom as well as worldwide news websites, including CNN.

The Associated Press saw that “it appears that the source has manipulated the image” after conducting a more comprehensive investigation. The photograph was removed from circulation by Agence France-Presse, citing “an editorial issue” as the reason.

A message was sent out to clients by the agency, which stated, “It has come to light that this handout photo… issued by Kensington Palace today of the Princess of Wales and her kids had been altered, and as a result, it was withdrawn from AFP systems.”

Moreover, PA Images and Getty Images “killed” the photograph as well.

Over the past few weeks, the palace has been subjected to increasing public pressure to provide additional information regarding the future Queen, yet it has maintained a firm stance regarding the protection of her privacy.

During a flurry of social media conspiracy theories over Kate’s whereabouts, Kensington Palace reaffirmed at the end of the previous month that it had “made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery” and “that guidance stands.” She “continues to be doing well,” according to a source close to the royal family who spoke to CNN separately.

It is not expected that she will make any public appearances until after Easter has passed.