Four international photo agencies, including Getty Images, AFP, Reuters, and Associated Press, have retracted an image of the Princess of Wales, Catherine, and her children after concerns emerged that it might have been manipulated.
The photo taken by Prince William for Mother’s Day, marked Catherine’s first public appearance in an official capacity since her abdominal surgery in January. The agencies cited an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand as the reason for the withdrawal. Despite the retraction, Kensington Palace has not commented on the matter.
The photo showed the princess surrounded by her children and was intended as a heartwarming portrayal of the royal family. It had been widely disseminated across various media outlets, including front pages and TV news bulletins.
However, the subsequent pullback by major news agencies over manipulation concerns has sparked further public intrigue and speculation about the royal family.
Agencies like AP adhere to strict guidelines, allowing only minor adjustments to images to ensure their accuracy and prevent digital manipulation. Social media platform X also flagged the photo as potentially altered.
The controversy over the photo has overshadowed the intended message of gratitude and Mother’s Day wishes shared by Catherine on social media. It also brings to light the royal family’s preference for privacy regarding personal matters, as seen in their limited sharing of details about Catherine’s surgery and recovery, which reportedly was not cancer-related.
Despite the Palace’s efforts to maintain normalcy for the children and focus on Catherine’s recovery, the manipulated photo incident has fueled more speculation and attention than quelling it.
🚨🇬🇧 The Royal Plot Thickens!
Things continue to get stranger as at least 3 renowned international media agencies refuse to publish this picture released by the Palace this morning.
They claim the photo of Kate Middleton & her children has been ‘manipulated’ aka photoshopped by… pic.twitter.com/BM9RLXf5kW
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) March 10, 2024
How can we ever believe anything any more than comes from government ? 😨
They’ve photoshopped away part of the sleeve.
What were they thinking – its such a beautiful photo pic.twitter.com/hd4m1LOm5A
— Craig Kelly (@CraigKellyPHON) March 11, 2024
Who cares.
Exactly. Who in their right mind would a flying fu*k about the parasitic ‘Royal Family’.
The ‘Royal Family’ is clearly a perverse historical absurdity and should be abolished.
☝️This right here
I have never photoshopped anything and think this whole affair raises red flags about what’s really going on with Catherine.