Princess of Wales sorry over edited photo
The United Kingdom’s Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Monday apologized and admitted to editing an official portrait of her and her children that prompted Agence France-Presse (AFP) and other news agencies to withdraw the altered image from distribution.
Catherine, 42, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service and underwent abdominal surgery in January, fueling speculation about her health.
Her office in Kensington Palace on Sunday sought to dispel rumors by distributing an official photograph said to have been taken by her husband, Prince William, of his wife with their three children.
But questions quickly emerged about the Mother’s Day portrait of a smiling Catherine, casually dressed and seated in a garden chair, surrounded by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
They included several inconsistencies such as the zip of Catherine’s jacket being misaligned in one place, while part of Charlotte’s sleeve is missing.
The 8-year-old princess’ hair also ends abruptly on her shoulder.
After the United Kingdom’s respected Press Association news agency joined the growing boycott, Catherine issued a statement.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said in the statement. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
British media outlets quoted unnamed royal sources as saying Catherine had made “minor adjustments” to the picture.
Kensington Palace, however, said it would not republish the original, unedited photo.
‘Damaging’
AFP, Getty Images, The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters all have policies about distributing manipulated images. They initially published the photo but pulled it out on Sunday night.
They decided after consultation that the modifications were “in violation of the ethical standards of the profession,” said Eric Baradat, AFP’s deputy news director in charge of photography.
“AFP felt compelled to remove the photo to preserve the trust of its subscribers and maintain transparency to the public, especially in a society where manipulated images are prevalent,” he added.
Many commentators suggested the furor cast fresh doubt on royal reassurances about Catherine’s health and recuperation.
Peter Hunt, a former British Broadcasting Corp. royal correspondent, said the situation was “damaging” for the family.
“They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate,” Hunt said, using the Princess of Wales’ nickname. “Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.”
Graham Smith, who heads the Republic pressure group calling for an elected head of state, said: “It’s quite simple. Don’t use their own photos. It’s PR, not news.”
Laura Clancy, a media lecturer at Lancaster University in northwestern England, said the situation highlighted the difficulties in modern media management.
British media outlets, often frustrated by palace stonewalling, have tended not to question official royal information, she added.
“The issue they’ve had is social media, where people can question and talk about it, and there’s news outlets around the world who don’t stick to that line and will ask questions,” she told AFP.
The news agencies, by pulling the photo, forced the palace to react, she added.
‘Support’
British media reported that Catherine was seen traveling with William, 41, to central London, where he attended the annual Commonwealth Day celebrations with other senior royals.
The intense interest in Catherine’s well-being and her whereabouts stems from William being next in line to the throne, currently occupied by his father, King Charles 3rd.
Earlier this month, a snatched photograph said to have been of Kate, wearing sunglasses while being driven by her mother, was published on the celebrity news site TMZ.
But that, too, failed to dampen conspiracy theories online.
Sunday’s contentious photograph overshadowed the Commonwealth Day event, even without the king in attendance as he undergoes treatment for cancer.