Princess Kate issues apology after photo confusion as she admits she ‘experiments with editing’

PRINCESS Kate has apologized and admitted she edited her Mother’s Day photo – but the palace refused to release the original.

A heartwarming snap of Kate beaming with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, was shared on Sunday.

A family photo of Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was shared on Sunday

Kate apologizes after “editing failure” Credit: Twitter

Fans pointed out a number of ‘editing errors’ in the photo

While many were delighted to see the Princess of Wales looking well after undergoing abdominal surgery two months ago, fans were quick to spot at least four “editing lapses”.

The image, released by Kensington Palace, was then the subject of a “takedown notice” from major new agencies.

Metadata shows it was saved in Adobe Photoshop and edited twice.

The five major news agencies – AP, Getty Images, Reuters, AFP and PA – all pulled the footage over fears it was “edited at the source”.

In a statement today, the Princess of Wales has since apologized for altering the image – admitting she caused “confusion” with her edits.

Kate said: “Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing.

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

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

Kensington Palace said it would not re-release the original unedited photo of Kate and her children.

It came despite calls for them to release the untreated footage to help dispel conspiracy theories about Kate’s health status.

Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith gives his verdict on the Mother’s Day picture as he speaks following his CBB eviction

Just hours before Kate’s apology, Piers Morgan said the original should be published.

He wrote on X/Twitter: “Palace should release unedited photo of Kate and kids ASAP.

“If it’s just a small piece of innocuous retouching gone wrong, no one will care.

“If they don’t release the original image, the conspiracy theories they’ve been trying to kill will get even worse…”

The sweet Mother’s Day picture was shared after weeks of speculation over Kate’s health – as she recovers from abdominal surgery.

The original X post now has a warning that reads: “Major news agencies, including the Associated Press, Getty Images and Reuters, are reporting inconsistencies that suggest a digital makeover of Kensington Palace.”

Royal Photoshop decays over the years

KATE’S Mother’s Day photo isn’t the first time members of the royal family have been caught in a botched edit.

Christmas 2023

Prince Louis appears to be missing a finger from Wales’ latest Christmas card.

Fans also noticed another unusual detail in the photo, saying it looked like Prince William’s leg was missing.

Retouch of the hands of the late queen

The portrait of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip appears to have been photoshopped.

There’s something strange about the monarch’s clasped hands in the picture, which was released a few years before she died in September 2022.

Sharp-eyed royal fans spotted a strange dark outline around the edge of the Queen’s right hand, which they claimed suggested it was cut from an alternate image.

‘Zombie’ Kate

The image of the Princess of Wales was used on the cover of the Australian publication Woman’s Day.

It appears that someone doctored the photo of Kate’s face ahead of the birth of Prince Louis in 2018.

Cosmpolitan magazine subsequently wrote a scathing review, calling the airbrushing “creepy zombie Photoshopping”.

Wills bald spot

Vanity Fair has been accused of thickening Prince William’s hair during a shoot after the birth of George.

In response, the publication insisted it had simply added more color to make the photo look “more vibrant”.

George edits

American Weekly changed George’s appearance when he was still a baby.

The second in line to the throne got greener eyes, pinker lips, more colorful hair and chubbier cheeks when he appeared on the cover of the publication in 2014.

Smaller waist

The Press Complaints Commission was called when Grazia magazine edited a photo of Princess Kate on her wedding day in 2011 to make her waist appear slimmer.

The publication admitted to altering the photo, but claimed it was an inadvertent mistake when they cropped her husband William out of the picture.

The warning from Twitter appeared in response to a flood of comments from users pointing out that the edit failed.

Fans wondered why Kate was not wearing her wedding ring and noticed that her other hand was blurred.

Others said Charlotte’s cardigan sleeve appeared to be missing and her skirt was fuzzy.

Fans also claimed that there appeared to be a strange cut on the molding.

In the color corrected and lightened version of the image, Kate’s zipper appears to be misaligned.

Meanwhile, others felt that the color of the tree leaves was wrong for this time of year.

The palace said the photo was taken by Prince William last week and was the first time Kate had posted it online in months.

Along with the sweet picture, she wrote: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the past two months.

“Happy Mother’s Day everyone. C.”

The photo ‘edit’ gap comes as:

Princess Kate apologizes for “confusion” caused by inconsistencies in the family’s image
Piers Morgan urges palace to share raw photo to quell internet sleuths
Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith gives his verdict on the Mother’s Day picture as he speaks following his CBB eviction
Photo agencies have issued a ‘murder notice’ on Princess Kate’s Mother’s Day photo
Twitter warning over inconsistency in Princess Kate photos
King Charles releases a video message saying he will ‘continue to serve you, to the best of my ability’ amid his battle with cancer

Last night, international photo agencies Reuters, AP, Getty and AFP issued “must kill” warnings for the family photo.

It is common practice for image agencies to pull edited images.

In its “murder alert,” the AP said, “On closer inspection, it appears the source manipulated the image.”

Minister of Security Tom Tugendhat was questioned about the photo this morning and said that he believes that “it is important that we record what we publish fairly and that we record the situations accurately”.

He told Times Radio: “You wouldn’t expect me to comment on any photo, especially not on Mother’s Day, when I think a lot of us were taking and slightly enhancing the photos we took of our mothers, but mostly of our children who were kind of running around .

“So I’m not going to judge that.

“But I think it’s important that we record what we say honestly and accurately record situations.

“So I’m sure, like in any family, there are some moments where you could do better.”

Asked if his department would publish a photo that was faked, he said: “We’re always very careful about what we publish. But you’re baiting me into a trip here.

“I’m not going there because it’s a family photo and it’s Mother’s Day.”

It comes after rumors emerged about Kate’s health after William missed a memorial service two weeks ago.

He was expected to do the reading, but dropped out due to a “personal matter.”

Why were ‘murder notices’ issued?

News agencies issued a “murder alert” on the picture late Sunday night.

The takedown orders were sent after “manipulation” of the image was discovered.

The AP’s order stated that the reason for the story’s cancellation was: “On closer inspection, it appears that the source manipulated the image.”

The order then directs those who used the photo to remove it from all platforms, including social media.

Agence France-Presse ordered a “mandatory kill” due to “editorial issues” and ordered that the image should no longer be used.

Reuters said the photo was “retracted after review of the post.”

Getty Images said: “For editorial reasons, please remove the following images from your system and do not use them in any way.”

The Getty said its image desk “identified the problematic image” submitted by the palace and removed it from its site “in accordance with our editorial policy.”

The PA said: “Like other news agencies, PA Media yesterday released in good faith an image of the Princess of Wales and her children which was provided by Kensington Palace.

“We have become aware of concerns about the image and issued a report last night about it and made it clear that we are seeking urgent clarification of the image from Kensington Palace.

“In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our image service.”

Each news agency has its own editorial guidelines that govern how they treat images.

The AP says that images “must always tell the truth” and that it does not alter or manipulate the content of the photo in any way.

Its guidelines say: “The content of the photograph may not be altered in PhotoShop or in any other way. No element may be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph.”

However, AP says that minor adjustments are allowed, these include cropping, color adjustments, and lighting adjustments.

Kate has only been seen once since the operation, in the passenger seat of a black Audi while her mother Carole (69) was driving her near Windsor Castle.

She was wearing sunglasses and seemed to be smiling slightly.

It followed her “planned major abdominal surgery” in January at a London clinic.

A private hospital in central London also treated the king as he underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Kensington Palace previously said Kate was unlikely to return to public duties before Easter.

The statement read: “The Princess of Wales would like to apologize to anyone concerned about the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements.

“He’s looking forward to getting back as much as possible, as soon as possible.”

Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith also spoke about her recovery on Celebrity Big Brother.

He said: “I spoke to her mum, my sister, she has the best care in the world.

“And all the family did was set up the car and take care of the family first.

“They made a statement and just said: ‘She needs time for this [recuperate] and see you at Easter’.”

If the princess recovers as planned, her first engagement could be at a family service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Easter Sunday, March 31.

It comes after confusion over whether the royal family will appear as they review the dress rehearsal at the Horse Guards Parade for the Trooping of the Color on June 8.