Kate Middleton's health remains a source of concern in the United Kingdom.
The princess appeared for the first time since her hospitalization in an official photo shared on Sunday March 10 on the Twitter account of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Although the photo was initially broadcast, the three main world news agencies decided to remove it a few hours later, suspecting manipulation.
The photo shows Kate smiling, sitting on a rattan chair on a terrace with her three children to mark Mother's Day.
But a detailed examination shows that Princess Charlotte's left hand is misaligned with the sleeve of her vest, which casts doubt on the authenticity of the entire photo.
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
After relaying the photo provided by the palace, the Associated Press (AP), Reuters and AFP agencies decided to unpublish it.
“It has emerged that the image provided by Kensington Palace today (Sunday) of Kate and her children has been altered. As a result, it has been removed from the AFP service and must no longer be used in any way.” , indicated AFP.
“A closer examination revealed that the source manipulated the image in a way that does not comply with AP photo standards,” detailed the American agency, which was the first to remove the photo of her sons.
Contacted, Kensington Palace did not respond to requests from AFP.
Several media outlets were also surprised by the absence of a wedding ring on the finger of Kate, who married Prince William, heir to the throne, in 2011.
Unusual media absence
The palace's publication of this image on Sunday came after a long and unusual media absence for Kate, which has for weeks sparked speculation about her state of health.
With this photo, was the palace hoping to put an end to these questions?
Particularly after an eventful week, with the publication of an unposed photo in American media specializing in celebrities, and confusion surrounding the presence of the princess at an official event next June.
In the photo, taken by William, according to the palace, and posted on the couple's official social media accounts, Kate is dressed in jeans, a sweater and a dark jacket, surrounded by her three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, laughing.
The photo was taken "in Windsor earlier this week", the palace further clarified.
"Thank you for your well-wishes and continued support over the past two months. I wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day," reads the short message signed "C" (for Catherine) accompanying the photo.
If the actions of the royal family are always scrutinized by the press, the communication around the operation and Kate's convalescence has raised many questions, even criticism, including in the tabloids, although they are very favorable to the couple. that she trains with William.
This manipulated image risks fueling these questions, as the last official public appearance of Prince William's wife dates back to the royal family's Christmas mass in Sandringham (east of England) at the end of December, two months ago. and a half then.
An unprecedented discretion for the popular princess, whose travels very often make the headlines in the British media.
“Scheduled” abdominal operation
Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that the princess had undergone a "scheduled" abdominal operation the day before in a London clinic, without specifying the cause, but denying that it was linked to cancer.
Relaying Kate's "wish" "that her personal medical information remain private", he indicated that she would not participate in any official public engagement before Easter, March 31.
William had also reduced his schedule to stay with his wife and their children.
Twelve days later, the palace said the princess had returned to her home in Windsor.
And since then, nothing, or almost nothing, except a short statement at the end of February while questions piled up in the press, to indicate that it "continues to do well", after the cancellation of a Prince William's public engagement for an unspecified "personal reason".
But this week, the palace's precise communication was put to the test.
First, with the publication on Monday in two American media specializing in celebrities of a photo of Kate, dark glasses on her nose, sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by her mother.
The image was not picked up by British newspapers, in line with the official request to respect the family's privacy during the princess's convalescence.
The next day, another hiccup: the Ministry of Defense mentions on one of its websites that the princess will participate on June 8 in one of the military parades organized for the official birthday of the sovereign.
Obviously taken by surprise, Kensington Palace, which manages Kate and William's agenda, does not confirm, while royal sources affirm that it was not consulted in advance by the government, which ultimately withdrew the mention of Kate's presence.
The communication around Kate's state of health contrasts in any case with the transparency effort led by Buckingham Palace around the cancer from which Charles III suffers.
Although his nature has not been clarified, the king is regularly photographed in the few official functions he continues to perform, mainly interviews with the Prime Minister or foreign diplomats.
With AFP
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