What’s going on with Kate? The royal mess over a ‘manipulated’ picture

Where is Kate Middleton? That’s the question royal watchers and the public have been asking. Speculation was rife since the Princess of Wales has not been seen following her abdominal surgery in January. As conspiracy theories swirled, Kensington Palace released a photograph of the 42-year-old royal with her three children on Sunday. Now there is a possibility that the photograph has been manipulated with major new agencies withdrawing it.

We take a look at the controversial picture and why questions are being raised about it.

What’s the controversy surrounding Kate Middleton’s latest image?

On Sunday, Kensington Palace, the home and office of the royal couple, issued a picture, which it claims was taken by Prince William, of his wife Kate, formally known as Catherine, with their three children. The photo shows the Princess of Wales sitting down surrounded by Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Prince George.

Kate has her hands around Charlotte and Louis’ waist, while George is standing behind, wrapping his arms around his mother.

The first official photo of the future queen since her abdominal surgery two months ago was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts with a message from Kate as Britain celebrated Mother’s Day: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months… Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.” She signed with her initial C (for Catherine).

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

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The British royal family was hoping to put to rest the intense speculation around Kate who was last seen in public on Christmas Day. However, now a bigger controversy has erupted as major news agencies have withdrawn the photograph over concerns that it has been manipulated.

Also read: MIA! Why hasn't Kate Middleton been seen in public for 2 months?

Is Kate’s photograph fake?

The photograph has been retracted by the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP), and Getty Images.

AP was the first to pull the image as it “did not meet” the agency’s photo standards. It also noted an “inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand”.

When AP determined the photo appeared to have been manipulated, it issued what is known as a “photo kill,” an industry term that retracted the image and instructed clients to remove the photo from their systems. “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” AP said in its advisory. “No replacement photo will be sent.”

Like AP, Reuters also pointed to the sleeve of Charlotte as an area that showed evidence of manipulation. It said that the sleeve did not line up properly, suggesting the image had been altered, reports CNN. The agency said it could not immediately determine how, why, or by whom the alteration was made.

AFP claims to have withdrawn the photo because of “an editorial issue”. “It has come to light that this handout photo… issued by Kensington Palace today of the Princess of Wales and her kids had been altered and therefore it was withdrawn from AFP systems,” it said in a note to clients.

Also read: Royal drama: The biggest scandals during Queen Elizabeth II's reign

PA Media, the UK’s biggest news agency, through which the Royal Family regularly releases its official information, including to the BBC said it had not killed the picture on its service. However, a spokesman said the agency was seeking urgent clarification from Kensington Palace over the concerns raised about manipulation, according to a report in the BBC.

An article in the Verge questions if Kate’s arms are really that long. “It’s possible this is just a case of shitty Photoshop used to stitch together several photos so that the best expression on each person’s face was used,” the article says.

Reputed photo agencies and media organisations have strict rules against publishing images that are overly edited or manipulated. AP’s news values and principles allow minor photo editing but changes in density, contrast, colour and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning.

Reuters also allows the use of Photoshop in “very limited” ways such as cropping or resizing images, or balancing their colour.

Even before AP “killed” the image, it came to the notice of many observers that the Princess of Wales is seen without her wedding and engagement rings in the picture.

What has Kensington Palace said?

The photograph has not been taken down from the social media handles of the Prince and Princess of Wales yet. Kensington Palace has declined to comment on the controversy.

In January, the Palace said that Kate had undergone a planned abdominal surgery and would be hospitalised for up to two weeks. She would take a prolonged break for her public appearances and private engagements.

“The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” the Palace said in a statement released on 17 January.

This year, Easter falls on 31 March.

A statement from Kensington Palace pic.twitter.com/6h3BCrqj5L

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 17, 2024

What are the rumours surrounding Kate?

The Princess of Wales has not been seen in public since Christmas when she attended a church service in Norfolk with her husband and children. Rumour mills have been abuzz because of her long absence. It didn’t help that Prince William pulled out of an important family gathering last month without public explanation.

A photograph emerged in early March of Kate in a car driven by her mother. She was seen wearing dark glasses and sitting in the front passenger seat. While the British media did not publish it, American news outlets had no such reservations. However, questions were raised about the authenticity of the image. “Was this picture of Kate Middleton made with a thousand photographs of Kate Middleton?” the comedian Laurie Kilmartin asked on X.

Kate Middleton Seen in Public for First Time Since Mystery Hospitalization | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/O7zlxZfiCY

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 4, 2024

But now with the possibility of the Palace issuing an altered image, the goal to reassure the public about the future queen’s health has royally backfired.

While some suspect that the situation is more serious than what the British royals are letting on, the internet is flooded with ludicrous conspiracy theories – of Kate being in a coma, about a face-lift or a Brazilian butt lift or BBL, which has a long recovery time. Some rumours got more outlandish with some suggesting that the princess was dead.

Amid growing pressure to share information about Kate, the Palace pushed back against the rumours saying that it had “made clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.”

Then on Sunday, it issued the controversial picture. And now it finds itself in a royal mess.

With inputs from agencies