Kate Middleton has issued an apology for distributing a photo that was manipulated following months of speculation about her health and whereabouts.
Kensington Palace on Sunday released the Princess of Wales’ first photo since her hospitalization for abdominal surgery nearly two months ago, but the Associated Press and other news agencies retracted the image “because it appeared to be manipulated.” Getty and AFP also issued takedown notices that said the photo was removed for editorial reasons. At that point, however, the image had been published on the front page of numerous British publications and online.
Catherine’s photo distribution and news agencies’ subsequent retraction fueled even more conjecture about the 42-year-old royal. Instead of quelling rumors about her well-being, her U.K. Mother’s Day greeting resulted in a rare apology from the British royal for the Photoshop fail, making a strange situation even more bizarre.
“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,” the former duchess said in a statement on Kensington Palace’s X account.
The photo, said to be taken in Windsor earlier this week by her husband and the future king, Prince William, featured Catherine seated in a chair outdoors surrounded by her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. However, it was clear that it had been edited in certain areas, specifically around Charlotte’s hands.
The Associated Press retracted the photo from distribution hours after publishing it.
“While there was no suggestion the photo was fake, AP retracted it because closer inspection revealed the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. For instance, the photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand,” AP said.
A collection of British newspapers from Monday feature the image that was edited by the Princess of Wales and distributed by Kensington Palace.
(Alastair Grant / Associated Press)
Internet sleuths spotted more issues, including misalignment on a window in the background and a tile on the floor, as well as apparent inconsistencies around the family’s attire. Naturally, the image and Catherine’s apology evolved into a viral meme and others questioned a wide range of issues, including why the photo was posted in the first place and why Catherine wasn’t wearing her wedding ring.
“Shout-out to whoever is doing PR … Because nothing says ‘let’s put the conspiracy theories to rest’ quite like a very badly photoshopped/ai generated photo,” one user wrote in the comments section of the palace photo.
“Is [this in] London? Because the grass would not be that green at the beginning of March nor would the trees be budding in London,” another wrote.
“Kids don’t smile like this in other group photos. Something looks weird and feels off. It’s just sitting so wrong with me. What the heck?” wrote another.
“Can give Photoshop lessons if required. £50 an hour. You only need about 10,” an X user replied to the palace apology.
“The palace just threw her right under the bus huh? Zero chance this is true,” replied another.
“I am struggling to believe that the most famous royal family in the world – and the woman who would be queen – fiddled around with photoshop and put out a family pic (designed to quash rumours about her whereabouts) without anyone in the ranks inspecting it. Nah. Not buying it,” wrote another.
Catherine’s Mother’s Day message came a week after the senior royal was captured in paparazzi photos making her first public outing since December and since undergoing abdominal surgery on Jan. 16. Despite a Jan. 17 Kensington Palace statement announcing that the princess was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” Catherine’s “disappearance” led to rampant gossip about the nature of her ailment and what she’s been doing in her time out of public view.
Such questions ran wild in Reddit threads, in tabloids around the world and in mainstream news outlets, particularly last month when William cited personal matters as his reason for missing the funeral of his godfather, King Constantine of Greece. Catherine’s announcement about her break from royal duties was further compounded by King Charles III’s health issues, including Buckingham Palace’s announcement that he was being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Times deputy editor Matt Brennan and staff writer Meredith Blake contributed to this report.