‘Amateur photographer’: Kate Middleton & the Mother’s Day fiasco, explained

Kate Middleton has clarified that the first official photo of her, which was released to the media before major news agencies withdrew it due to digital manipulation — was edited by the Princess of Wales herself.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said on X, adding, “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.”

On Sunday, the official social media accounts of the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a smiling photo of Kate Middleton, which it said was taken by Prince William, posing with their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The family photo was meant to be a sweet post for Mother’s Day, celebrated on March 10 in the UK. It was also supposed to quell curiosity surrounding the circumstances and well-being of Kate, following a planned abdominal surgery in January.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the caption for the post on X and Instagram said. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C”

Released to the media by Kensington Palace, the same photo marks the first official glimpse of the Princess of Wales, who last made a public appearance on December 25, and was widely distributed by news agencies like the Associated Press (AP), AFP, and Reuters.

But, just hours later, the agencies retracted the image, all saying it appeared to have been digitally manipulated.

Kate has been absent from royal duties for months. “Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” according to a statement from Kensington Palace on January 17. Easter this year will fall on March 31.

There has been long speculation about her whereabouts, and instead of calming the online conjecture, it seems the photo and subsequent retraction by the international news agencies “has done completely the opposite.”

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers told British media in an interview, “The overall point why this is difficult, is that this photograph is to reassure us that the Princess of Wales is well and happy,” adding that, “It’s been counterproductive because the photograph, which as I said was meant to reassure us, has done completely the opposite.”

The removal of photos also comes at a time during which the British royal family is under further examination as King Charles III is also unable to perform regular royal duties because of health problems, in addition to Kate.

“Photo kill”

In a statement, the Associated Press said it “initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace,” and “later retracted the image because, at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand”

The agency, which also clarified that editorial standards mean photos “must be accurate” said that it “does not use altered or digitally manipulated images.”

Reuters picture editors also reportedly say there appear to be visual discrepancies on part of the sleeve of Princess Charlotte’s cardigan, and in a statement said it had removed the picture after a post-publication review. "We are reviewing the matter," a spokesperson said.

According to AFP, it had withdrawn the photo, citing “an editorial issue” after it “came to light that the handout issued by Kensington Palace today of Kate and the kids had been altered, therefore it was withdrawn from AFP systems.”

Getty Images followed suit after its picture desk “identified a problematic image” it was provided by the palace. A spokesperson for the agency told Sky News: “We can confirm the image in question was removed from our site in accordance with our editorial policy.”

Most news agencies and wires only allow minimal photo editing, such as cropping and colour adjustments, and have strict rules against manipulating images that entail elements added or removed to maintain credibility.

News agencies have recalled images or issued what is known in the industry as a “photo kill” before the latest high-profile incident surrounding Britain’s royal family unfolded.

In December 2017, the Associated Press issued a photo kill for Japan’s Princess Aiko’s 16th birthday, which was provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, stating that “the source has required no cropping of the photo.”

In January 2016, after Canadian courts banned the identification of victims from a school shooting that month, the agency removed an image showing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with an individual in La Loche, Saskatchewan.