Princess Kate Middleton apologizes after edited photo leaked

4 mins

At 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of health, this altered photo had the opposite effect, and caused a media storm, a few days after an announcement, then withdrawn, about the presence of the princess at an official event in June.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 editing. I would like to apologize for the confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday “, declared the Princess of Wales in a message signed “C” for Catherine, published on X.

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 of thanks to 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.

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 news 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-Presse 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 “, commented Monday on X the anti-monarchy movement Republic, ” This is PR, 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 “ exactly the opposite “. According to Peter Hunt, another royal commentator, the affair is embarrassing for Kensington Palace because ” people will now wonder if they can be trusted and believed » concerning the health of the princess, who according to the palace, will not resume her 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 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 British Empire.

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.