UK. The recently released image of Princess Kate Middleton and her children has been retracted by several news outlets. There is suspicion of manipulation.
The image, published just yesterday, was withdrawn by several agencies. Photo: Ian Vogler / Action Press / picturedesk.com
Several international news agencies withdrew a picture of Princess Kate and her children yesterday evening, Sunday, March 10th, due to suspicions of manipulation. The photo released by Kensington Palace was the first image of Middleton since her abdominal surgery last January. The palace published it on the X platform to mark British Mother’s Day.
Image withdrawn
As the US agency “Associated Press” (AP) announced yesterday evening, after a thorough examination, it concluded that the image had been “manipulated in a way” that did not meet the agency’s photography standards. The published image is said to show an inconsistency in Princess Charlotte’s left hand. Reuters and AFP also subsequently withdrew the image. Media are no longer allowed to use the original photo – at least if they get it from these sources – even if it remains online in the palace’s channels.
The first official photo was actually intended to reassure the British public around two months after Princess Kate’s operation. Now the project ended in a real PR disaster. The BBC pointed to Kensington Palace’s press relations as a possible explanation for the matter.
Speculation since January
Since a hospitalization earlier this year, the Princess of Wales’s health has been the subject of speculation and uncertainty, as well as speculation and media hype. Conspiracy theories about her whereabouts also circulated online, while the royal family kept information about her condition under wraps. She is not expected to resume her royal duties until after Easter.
Despite public curiosity, the royal family has always emphasized that personal medical information about the princess’s health should remain private.