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Princess Kate ‘reassuring’ Mother’s Day image ‘done completely opposite’, says royal biographer
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The Princess of Wales has been pictured leaving Windsor Castle with Prince William just hours after she issued an apology for editing a family photo on Mother’s Day.
Kensington Palace confirmed Kate had left Windsor with William who is due to attend the Commonwealth Day service in London this afternoon.
Kate is not attending the service, but is understood to have a private appointment.
The palace has been put under pressure to release the original Mother’s Day photo after major news agencies pulled the image.
The photo shows Kate Middleton smiling surrounded by her three children in what is the first official picture of the princess since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
However, within hours of it being posted on social media, picture agencies began recalling the photo citing fears it had been “manipulated”.
Eagle-eyed royal fans pointed out a number of editing failures, including that the sleeve of Princess Charlotte’s cardigan did not line up.
In an Instagram post on Monday morning, Kate wrote: “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.”
Recommended Why photo agencies pulled Kate Middleton’s mothers day photo Kensington Palace silent after picture agencies pull first image of Kate after surgery over editing fears Palace breaks silence on Kate Middleton health conspiracy theories on social media Don’t believe your eyes: how technology is changing photography forever
Key points Kate apologises and admits editing Mother’s Day picture Kensington Palace refuses to reissue original unedited photo UK’s national news agency withdraws photo as ‘palace fails to clarify concerns’ Palace faces questions over Kate’s first picture after surgery First official photo of Kate released after abdominal surgery
Show latest update 2 hours ago Why the controversy over editing and manipulation could be just the beginning
It was seemingly intended to end speculation. But the latest image released of the Princess of Wales has only led to more of it.
As soon as the picture was released, people began to notice inconsistencies: a sleeve that seemed to disappear, and blurring around the edges of clothes.
The day after it was released, a new statement attributed to Kate appeared in a tweet reading: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”
The suggestion that it was edited in the same way that “many amateur photographers” do could be a hint at the fact that changed images are becoming increasingly prevalent – and increasingly convincing. There is a long history of misleading images, but they have never been so easy to create as they are now.
Indeed, edited images are now so commonplace that the people taking them might not even realise that they are doing so. New phones and other cameras include technology that tries to improve pictures – but can also be changing them in unknown ways.
Read more from my colleague Andrew Griffin below:
Kate photo: Why this controversy could be just the beginning Concern over misleading images is not new – but it is now so easy to make them that people might not even know they are doing it
Athena Stavrou 11 March 2024 15:27
2 hours ago In pictures: Royal family arrive at the Commonwealth Day service
(via REUTERS)
(Yui Mok/PA Wire)
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrive for the annual Commonwealth Day Service
(Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou 11 March 2024 15:04
2 hours ago Prince William attends Commonwealth Day service amid photoshop crisis
The Prince of Wales has arrived at today’s Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.
He was pictured earlier leaving Windsor with his wife, Kate, who this morning issued an apology for photoshopping a family photo for Mother’s Day.
It was the first official photo issued of her since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
Prince William has joined the Queen at today’s service.
(AP)
Athena Stavrou 11 March 2024 14:52
3 hours ago Kate pictured leaving Windsor castle
The Princess of Wales has been pictured leaving Windsor Castle just hours after she admitted to and apologised for editing a Mother’s Day photo.
Kensington Palace confirmed the Princess of Wales left Windsor in a car with the Prince of Wales as William was driven to the Commonwealth Day service in London.
Kate is not attending the service, but is understood to have a private appointment.
Athena Stavrou 11 March 2024 14:32
3 hours ago Everything ‘wrong’ with Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo
A family photo released for Mother’s Day is at the centre of a royal row sparked over concerns it had been ‘manipulated’.
The image, of Kate Middleton and her three children, was released on Sunday but then pulled by news agencies after apparent errors in the image were spotted.
Initially, the palace refused to comment, but on Monday the Princess of Wales apologised as she admitted to editing what was the first official picture of her since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
Below, my colleague Tara Cobham has complied every part of the photo that has raised concerns:
Everything ‘wrong’ with Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo Princess of Wales has now personally apologised as she admitted to editing the picture
Athena Stavrou 11 March 2024 14:08
3 hours ago Professional photographer comments on Kate’s editing
A professional photographer has weighed in on Kate’s photo editing skills and analysed where the mistakes are most obvious.
Courtney Hobbs, a photographer and creative director of Collective Digital UK, told The Times: “Straight away, you can tell there’s something not right about this photo. The biggest thing for me is Charlotte’s sleeve.
“However, more interestingly, on the left — and this is a major red flag — is the panelling behind Prince Louis’s leg, where you can see the white step in front of the door has not been correctly aligned.”
She added: “But why would you use a clone stamp to do that in such a small area? It’s been through Photoshop but they’ve done a bad job and they’ve made a basic error on it.
“I think it’s been done for aesthetic purposes rather than covering anything major up. But I am shocked and surprised by how little detail has gone into the sign-off process. No one has said ‘hang on’ and spotted it.”
Athena Stavrou 11 March 2024 13:53
4 hours ago Kate Middleton’s full statement over edited mother’s day photo
A day after an edited photo of the Princess of Wales and her three children was released, Kate herself tweeted an apology for the confusion.
A post from Kensington Palace on X reads: “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”
Athena Stavrou 11 March 2024 13:39
4 hours ago Royal author Omid Scobie accuses Kensington Palace of ‘long history of lying’
Royal author Omid Scobie, seen as cheerleader for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, accused Kensington Palace of having a “long history of lying”, and said gaining back public trust was now “an almost impossible task”.
Scobie wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that if the manipulated Mothers’ Day photograph was an isolated incident, it was an “unfortunate error”.
He added: “But with the Palace’s long history of lying, covering up, and even issuing statements on behalf of family members without their permission (cc: Prince Harry), it’s becoming increasingly difficult for the public to believe a word (and now photo) they share.
“Gaining that back at this point is an almost impossible task.”
Tara Cobham 11 March 2024 12:56
4 hours ago In pictures: Royal photo row on British newspaper front pages
(EPA)
(EPA)
(EPA)
Tara Cobham 11 March 2024 12:55
5 hours ago Watch live: William attends Commonwealth Day as palace breaks silence on Kate photo
Watch live as the Prince of Wales accompanies the Queen and other members of the royal family at the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 11 March.
The ceremony will be followed by a Commonwealth Day Reception at Marlborough House.
It comes as Kensington Palace broke its silence after concerns that the first picture of the Princess of Wales to be released after her surgery had been digitally altered.
Watch live here:
Watch live: William attends Commonwealth Day as palace breaks silence on Kate photo Watch live as the Prince of Wales accompanies the Queen and other members of the royal family at the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 11 March.
Tara Cobham 11 March 2024 12:46
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1/ 1Kate pictured leaving Windsor after apology over edited photo
Kate pictured leaving Windsor after apology over edited photo
The first picture of the Princess of Wales after her surgery has been pulled by major picture agencies over fears it has been manipulated
Prince of Wales
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