Kate Middleton Photo Scandal Mocked by Other Royals

The photo-editing scandal that brought a wave of criticism against the Princess of Wales earlier this week has become the subject of jokes around the world.

On Thursday, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was caught on camera joking with a group of schoolchildren that photos of his family were not “Photoshopped.”

It follows a question at a White House press briefing on Tuesday, which saw a correspondent ask press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre if photos of the president and first lady were ever altered before release, which was met by a round of laughter.

Willem-Alexander, who has met Kate on several public occasions over the past decade and was photographed with Prince Harry at the 2022 Invictus Games in the Hague, made his joking comment during a visit to the Dutch city of Zutphen on March 14.

In a translation of footage shared to X (formerly Twitter) by Dutch journalist Rick Evers, which has gone viral with over 400,000 views, the king was overheard on-camera being told by a schoolchild: “I have seen a picture of you and your whole family!”

To this, he responded: “Really? That was not Photoshopped apparently!”

The sidewards reference to the ongoing royal scandal in Britain was not lost on adults in the vicinity, who responded with laughter on footage captured of the encounter.

Newsweek approached Kensington Palace via email for comment.

The joke arrived amid Kate and Kensington Palace becoming the subject of worldwide debate and speculation, after the princess was forced to apologize for editing an official photograph of herself and her children released to mark Mother’s Day in Britain on March 10.

After it was initially shared to social media and press agencies, evidence of image manipulation was highlighted throughout the portrait online. This led several leading picture agencies to issue a “kill” notice to news outlets, asking them to cease using the image as it violated editing guidelines.

As the photo served a dual purpose in being both a Mother’s Day celebration and also the first official photo of Kate since she stepped out of the public eye in January to recover from abdominal surgery, speculation and conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts spiked once the editing evidence was spotted.

Just over 24 hours after the photo was initially uploaded, Kate issued a personally authored apology to social media.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said. “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 drama sparked a number of satirical memes and jokes, as well as serious criticism of Kensington Palace and the Wales’ PR strategy. On March 13, a director of one of the world’s leading news agencies claimed that the palace was no longer considered a “trusted source” as a result of the incident.

Kate has also faced calls to release the original version of the image for the public to judge the extent of the editing.

Several hours after the apology was made, Kate was photographed in a car with Prince William leaving Windsor for London, where she reportedly attended a private appointment.

Kensington Palace has not recently provided any update on Kate’s health or recovery. On February 27, they said that the princess continued to do “well” and that their previous guidance stands. This being the case, the timescale presented at the time of her surgery that she won’t be expected to return to public duties until “after Easter” is still expected to be in place.

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.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.