Catherine issues apology over edited photo
CATHERINE, Princess of Wales yesterday apologized and admitted to editing an official portrait of her released by the palace, after news agencies withdrew the image.
Kate, 42, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service, and underwent abdominal surgery in January, fuelling speculation about her health, specially online.
Her Kensington Palace office on Sunday sought to dispel rumors by distributing an official photograph said to have been taken by her husband Prince William of her with their three children.
But questions quickly emerged of the Mother’s Day portrait of a smiling Kate, casually dressed and seated in a garden chair, surrounded by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Discrepancies included several inconsistencies, such as Charlotte’s left hand being misaligned with the sleeve of her cardigan and a missing part of her sleeve.
The eight-year-old princess’s hair ended abruptly on her shoulder while Kate’s zip was lighter than elsewhere.
AFP, Getty, the Associated Press and Reuters all have policies about distributing manipulated images, and pulled it, despite initially publishing the photograph.
Britain’s domestic Press Association said yesterday it, too, was withdrawing the image, noting “the absence of clarification” about the image from Kensington Palace.
Within minutes of PA announcing its decision, the palace issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), signed by “C” for Catherine.
“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,” it stated.
Many commentators suggested the furore had cast fresh doubt on palace reassurances about Kate’s health and recuperation.
(AFP)