Kensington Palace has been forced to issue an extraordinary statement after a Mother's Day photograph of the Princess of Wales and her children triggered international controversy and led to multiple news agencies withdrawing the image over manipulation concerns.
The charming family portrait, released on Sunday to mark Mother's Day, initially appeared to show a happy Kate Middleton surrounded by her three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. However, eagle-eyed observers quickly spotted several inconsistencies that suggested the image had been digitally altered.
Global Media Reacts With Unprecedented Move
In a remarkable development, four of the world's largest news agencies - Reuters, Associated Press, Getty Images and AFP - took the almost unprecedented step of issuing 'kill notices' for the photograph, warning subscribers not to use the image due to concerns about manipulation.
An AFP statement to clients read: "Earlier today, AFP published a photo of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her children, issued by Kensington Palace. The photo has been withdrawn because at closer inspection, it appears the source has manipulated the image."
Princess of Wales Admits Editing Mistake
Facing mounting pressure, the Princess of Wales personally took responsibility for the editing, stating: "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."
The statement continued: "I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day."
Speculation Mounts About Princess's Health
The controversy comes amid ongoing public concern about the Princess's health, following her abdominal surgery in January and subsequent withdrawal from public duties. Palace officials had indicated she wouldn't return to royal engagements until after Easter.
This Mother's Day photograph was intended to be a reassuring glimpse of the recovering princess, but has instead sparked further questions and conspiracy theories across social media platforms.
Royal commentators have noted that while minor photo editing is common in personal photographs, the level of manipulation that prompted global news agencies to withdraw the image is highly unusual for an official royal release.
