Kate expresses ‘apologies’ for ‘manipulated’ photo from Kensington Palace

The Princess of Wales has addressed the confusion over a picture of herself with her children which was withdrawn by photo agencies because it was “manipulated”.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Princess Catherine said in a statement on Monday morning, UK time.

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.

“I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”

The Associated Press, AFP, Getty Images and Reuters, which had all distributed the family photo in question from Kensington Palace, pulled it from their systems on Monday, with AP explaining “at closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image”.

The photo was taken by Prince William and was shared to celebrate Mother’s Day. It was also the first time Kate had spoken out publicly, or released a photo of herself, since her “planned” abdominal operation in January.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” Kate wrote in the caption of the photo.
 

An AP spokesman told The Telegraph: “The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”

AFP cited an “editorial issue” as the reason for withdrawing the photo from its systems, while Getty Images did the same for “editorial reasons”. Reuters also pulled the photo “following a post-publication review”.

It is standard practice for picture agencies to withdraw edited images.

The British press yesterday reported Kensington Palace had refused to comment.

The photo remains on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram page.

After a two-month disappearance from the public eye, Kate was seen for the first time since her hospital operation last week.

She was in the passenger seat as her mum Carole drove her near Windsor Castle.

The last time the Princess was seen in public was on Christmas Day last year, when she and husband Prince William took their three children to a church service.
 

Upon being posted on Instagram, the photo from the Princess of Wales was flooded with comments suggesting it had been digitally altered.

Questions included where Kate’s wedding ring was, why the tree in the background of the image did not look like it was from the right time of year, and the unusual appearance of her daughter, Princess Charlotte’s, sleeve.