UK: Controversy around Kate Middleton's 'edited photo' explained
A controversy has erupted over the first official photo of Princess Kate Middleton since her abdominal surgery in January. The reason? Numerous news agencies have dropped the image of the princess with her three kids, claiming it was found to have been manipulated. Kensington Palace officially released the photo of Princess Kate on Sunday to mark Mother's Day in the United Kingdom (UK). Here is all you need to know about the controversy!
Details on controversial photograph of Princess of Wales
In the photograph, the Princess of Wales can be seen sitting on a garden chair with her three children, Charlotte, Louis, and George. However, Princess Kate not wearing her engagement ring in the photo has become the main point of discussion on social media. The ring is an heirloom that once belonged to Prince William's late mother, Princess Diana. The palace said that William, the 42-year-old princess' husband and the heir to the British throne, took the photograph in Windsor.
You can check out the picture here
Media organizations withdraw photo of Princess Kate
Less than 24 hours after the photo was uploaded by Kensington Palace, three news agencies—AP, AFP, and Reuters—withdrew it, citing manipulation concerns. Netizens also accused the Royal family of sharing an AI-generated image. "It has come to light that the Handout issued by Kensington Palace today of Kate and the kids had been altered; therefore, it was withdrawn from AFP systems," the news agency reportedly stated in a note to its clients.
Kensington Palace reportedly denied to comment on matter
The Press Association (PA), the UK's biggest news agency, through which the Royal family releases its official notifications, did not take any actions over the photograph. On the other hand, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that Kensington Palace declined to comment on the withdrawal of the photo by the news agencies over manipulation concerns.
Kate apologizes, admits picture was edited
But on Monday, Kate broke her silence amid the controversy over the photo. She personally apologized for any confusion caused over the family photograph issued by Kensington Palace. "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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C," Kate said.
