Since Sunday, the royal family has found itself at the center of another scandal, with the Princess of Wales criticized for editing her first official portrait since her abdominal surgery in January.
Kate Middleton’s absence from the public eye brought speculation and conspiracy theories over the past two months. It reached a new height on Sunday, when Kensington Palace released a portrait of the princess with her three children to mark Mother’s Day in Britain.
The princess used the photo as an opportunity to thank fans for their support during her recovery from the surgery, which necessitated her continued absence from public duties. However, social media users were quick to note a number of inconsistences and evidence of image manipulation in the portrait.
This led some of the world’s largest picture agencies (including the U.K.’s Press Association) to issue “kill” notices to news outlets, asking them to stop publishing the photo because it didn’t meet their guidelines.
Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/The Prince of Wales
Among the problems spotted by fans were the misalignment of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve, inconsistencies around Prince Louis’ trousers and a cut to a zipper on Kate’s jacket.
As the controversy over the photo’s publication gave rise to increased speculation about Kate’s health and whereabouts, the princess issued a rare public statement to social media just over 24 hours after the image’s initial upload.
Here, Newsweek looks at everything the royals have said about the Mother’s Day photo and the scandal that followed.
‘Happy Mother’s Day’
On Sunday, the Kensington Palace social media accounts for the Prince and Princess of Wales posted the first official photograph taken of Kate since Christmas Day 2023.
Before the photo’s release to mark Mother’s Day, the palace had faced speculation about Kate’s health as it protected her privacy during her recovery from surgery. The palace told the press it would not provide any “running commentary” on her health.
At 9 a.m. London time (4 a.m. ET) the photo was posted online, showing Kate with her three children—Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5—with a caption written by Kate and signed with her initial.
She took the opportunity to thank the public for its support since her surgery and wished everyone a happy Mother’s Day.
The Princess of Wales—social media post, March 10
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.
“Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.”
‘Pleased to Share’
Shortly after the image was uploaded to social media, Kensington Palace issued a press release providing more details about the shot, where it was taken and by whom.
The palace said the image was released on behalf of Kate and was taken by Prince William on the grounds of Windsor Castle in early March.
Kensington Palace press release—March 10
“The Princess of Wales is pleased to share a new photograph to mark Mother’s Day.
“The photograph was taken in Windsor earlier this week by The Prince.”
‘Apologies for Any Confusion’
After social media users and commentators highlighted examples of image manipulation visible in the portrait, resulting in the “kill” notices from the distributing agencies, Kensington Palace issued a reaction statement, written by Kate, to its social media channels.
In this statement, Kate admitted to “occasionally” experimenting with “editing” and apologized for any “confusion” it had caused.
This apology did little to halt speculation about the princess and her health. Critics have called on the palace to release the original unedited version of the portrait, and Kate continues her absence from public appearances. She is not expected to return to public life until at least “after Easter,” according to the palace.
The Princess of Wales—social media post, March 11
“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.
“I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.