THE Princess of Wales was last night told she was “very sad” after a happy family photo to celebrate Mother’s Day sparked global outrage.
Kate apologized after admitting she tweaked the image, which sources said she intended as an informal picture with her three children.
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The Princess of Wales was said to be ‘very sad’ as a happy family photo to celebrate Mother’s Day caused a global stormCredit: Kensington Palace
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William and Kate leave Windsor Castle for LondonCredit: Bruce Bennett
The princess was exposed to fierce criticism on social networks.
She is believed to have changed it three times on the computer before it was published on Sunday.
Photo agencies pulled, or “killed”, the image when the differences were discovered – with the BBC’s bulletins running a feud all day yesterday.
Kate turned heads from photographers yesterday as she left Windsor Castle by car with a brooding William by her side.
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Last night, Kensington Palace refused to release the original photo, explain which parts had been altered or say why. It said that one photo was retouched, not several images together.
As if to dispel crazy conspiracy theories about Kate’s health, the palace added: “The Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.”
The photo ‘edit’ gap comes as:
Kate (42), who is recovering from abdominal surgery, apologized in a statement yesterday morning.
She wrote: “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.”
Omid Scobie, a Harry and Meghan supporter, led the criticism, saying: “It’s getting harder and harder for the public to believe the words (and now the photo) they’re sharing.”
Prince William issues urgent environmental statement after blasting Princess Kate’s Photoshop drama
But Kate got sympathy because she showed up at the first opportunity.
It is assumed that she wanted to post a family photo as she does on Mother’s Day and knew that she would be under a lot of scrutiny.
The picture, featuring George, ten, Charlotte, eight, and Louisa, five, was pulled by photo agencies late on Sunday amid fears it was fake.
The Sun’s picture desk has found 12 clues that show possible editing.
Inspection of the original image revealed that it was taken on a Canon camera with a 50mm lens.
It was edited three times in Adobe Photoshop — once on Friday night and twice on Saturday.
Experts claim that several areas have been altered, from Charlotte’s cuff to even Kate having her face replaced.
Like any mother, she tried to make the photo as good as possible and never intended for it to become a big controversy.
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Kate photographs William flying his helicopter Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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William’s birthday was marked with this shot of George, Charlotte and Louis in Norfolk in June 2020. Credit: AP
Royal author Ingrid Seward said: “It is ridiculous and extremely unfair when she is trying to recover from major surgery.
“She’s been posing for photos her entire royal life, so give her a break.”
Kate was last seen on public duty on Christmas Day.
She went to the London clinic 8 weeks ago for abdominal surgery.
The palace insists she is fine and is not expected to return to public duty until April.
Yesterday, William attended the Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Kate had a private meeting in London.
There were claims, largely dismissed at the time, that Wales’ family Christmas card had been digitally altered.
It is ridiculous and deeply unfair when she is trying to recover from a major operation. She’s been posing for photos her entire royal life, so give her some time
Ingrid Seward
Kate posted a Mother’s Day photo on Sunday morning, leading many to believe she was trying to dispel conspiracy theories about her health.
The photo taken by William has been seen by 72 million people on the couple’s X/Twitter account and received two million likes on Instagram. But internet detectives soon recognized that it was fake.
The Associated Press said: “The source appears to have manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP photo standards.”
The agency pointed out that there is an inconsistency with the position of Charlotte’s left hand.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Getty and the Press Association followed suit in “killing” the image.
Royal author Phil Dampier said: “It’s ironic that this is the first time William has taken a picture that they’ve released publicly and this has happened.
“It seems he sent this to the Kensington Palace press office and they didn’t pick it up – and just sent it out without asking.”
LIFELONG CAMERA LOVER
Thomas Godfrey
The Princess of Wales was reportedly inspired by her grandfather, Captain Peter Middleton, to pick up a camera.
One of her favorite pictures is Charlotte smelling a bell in 2020.
Kate was photographed for the Queen’s 75th birthday, and Camilla said: “She is an extremely good photographer.”
Sun royal snapper Arthur Edwards added: “Her photo of William and the kids on the swing is an absolute winner.”
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PA Media has sent a ‘Picture Kill’ notice to media houses to stop using the image Credit: PA
WHY WERE ‘KILL 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” provided 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.
ROYAL PHOTOSHOP DECLINED FOR 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 error when they cropped her husband William out of the picture.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education