United Kingdom: Princess Kate Middleton apologizes after retouched photo circulated
Princess Kate Middleton took responsibility for a retouched photo on Monday March 11, which showed her on Sunday with her children.
The photo was unpublished by major press agencies due to its alterations.
Kate Middleton apologized for the edited photo, before it was published.
© Frank Augstein / AP
By: RFI with AFP
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In the
United Kingdom
, it was the first official photo of the princess, who has not been seen in public since Christmas, and underwent abdominal surgery in January.
Instead of reassuring about her state of health, this altered photo had the opposite effect, and caused a media storm, a few days after an announcement, then withdrawn, about the presence of the princess at an official event in June.
“
Like many amateur photographers, I sometimes try my hand at publishing.
I would like to apologize for the confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday
,” the Princess of Wales said in a message signed “C” for Catherine, published on X.
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.
VS
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024
While royal sources spoke
of “minor adjustments
”, Kensington Palace, which manages the communications of the Prince and Princess of Wales, ruled out on Monday rebroadcasting the original photo without its alterations.
He published the photo on Sunday for Mother's Day in the United Kingdom, specifying that it had been taken by Kate's husband, Prince William.
We see the 42-year-old princess sitting smiling, in jeans, sweater and blazer, surrounded by her three children.
The photo was accompanied by a short message thanking the public for their "
continued support over the past two months
."
An embarrassing affair for Kensington Palace
But a detailed examination shows several inconsistencies in the alignments.
Princess Charlotte's left hand is misaligned with the sleeve of her vest, one end of which appears cut off.
There is also a clear break in Princess Kate's zipper, clearly visible when enlarging the image.
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 Kensington Palace, the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Getty and AFP agencies decided to unpublish it on Sunday evening.
“
The main press agencies considered that these modifications did not respect the ethical standards of the profession, and they collectively agreed to remove this photo from their distribution platforms
,” explained the director of photography at Agence France- Press Eric Baradat.
The British PA agency made the same decision on Monday morning, citing the lack of “
clarification
” from the palace.
“
It’s simple, don’t use their photos
,” the anti-monarchy movement Republic commented on Monday on X, “
it’s about public relations, not news
.”
Monday morning, the royal columnist for the private channel ITV Chris Ship stressed that this photo, intended to counter conspiracy theories and reassure about the state of health of the princess, ultimately did “
exactly the opposite
”.
According to Peter Hunt, another royal commentator, the affair is embarrassing for Kensington Palace because "
people will now wonder whether they can be trusted and believed
" regarding the health of the princess, who according to the palace, will not resume its activities before Easter.
Last public appearance was at Christmas
The controversy largely overshadowed the ceremony planned for Monday afternoon at Westminster Abbey for Commonwealth Day, one of the monarchy's major annual events.
All active and healthy members of the royal family are expected there, including Queen Camilla and Prince William.
In a pre-recorded video message, King Charles,
currently being treated for cancer
and who has suspended his public activities, promised to serve "
to the best of his abilities
" these 56 countries, a large part of which come from the former empire British.
The effort at transparency demonstrated by the 75-year-old sovereign contrasts with the communication surrounding the health of his daughter-in-law since her operation.
Kensington Palace said it was not cancer, and that the princess was recovering well.
Kate's last public appearance was at the royal family's Christmas mass at Sandringham in late December.
A photo taken from a long distance was published last week by American media.
The British press did not do so to respect the wishes of the Princess of Wales to follow her convalescence in private.
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