LONDON (AP) — Kate princess of walesapologized on Monday for the “confusion” caused by editing a family photo released by the palace of Kate and her children. The photo was intended to calm concerns and speculation about the health of the British royal family, but it had the opposite effect.
Several news agencies, including The Associated Press, which originally published the photo, have taken it down, citing concerns about digital manipulation. The photo, published by Kensington Palace's office on Sunday to mark Mother's Day in the UK, is the first official photograph of the Duchess of Cambridge since she underwent abdominal surgery almost two months ago.
The retraction sent online gossip, which was already rife with speculation about Kate's surgery and treatment, into overdrive. The PR disaster was further proof that the royal family's long-held mantra of “never complain, never explain” is impossible in an age of social media saturation.
Kate said in a social media post: “Like many amateur photographers, I also experiment with editing from time to time.”
“I would like to apologize for the confusion caused by the family photo I shared yesterday,” he wrote in the post.
The palace has released several family snapshots in the past featuring Duchess Kate, heir to the throne Prince William, and their children Prince George, 10. Princess Charlotte, 8 years old. and Prince Louis, 5 years old.
Kensington Palace said the latest photo was taken by William. Kate wrote in a social media message: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the past two months. I wish you all a happy Mother's Day.”
Although there was no suggestion that the photo was fake, AP retracted the photo after closer inspection revealed that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP's photographic standards. Examples included a misalignment between Princess Charlotte's left hand and the sleeve of her sweater.
Other major news agencies, including Getty, Reuters, AFP and Britain's state news agency PA, also withdrew the photo.
Kensington Palace said it would not publish the original, unedited photo. Although Duchess Kate's statement provided some clarification, it was unlikely to stop the swirl of rumors that had accelerated during her absence from official duties.
Peter Hunt, the BBC's former royal correspondent, said the inappropriate handling of the photo release was “damaging to the royal family”.
“They knew that any photo they published of Kate would generate intense interest,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Their challenge is that people will start to question whether they can be trusted the next time they release a health update.”
The royal family has come under particular scrutiny after Charles III also had to cancel royal duties while undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer. The monarch has canceled all official engagements, but he has been photographed walking to church and meeting privately with government officials and dignitaries.
Prince Charles's relative openness about his diagnosis was a breakthrough for the typically secretive royal family. However, public interest was overshadowed by curiosity about Kate's condition. In the absence of solid information, conspiracy theories rushed to fill the void.
The photo's release comes after weeks of gossip on social media after Kate was discharged from hospital on January 29 after undergoing planned surgery and spending approximately two weeks in hospital. . She had not been seen in public since Christmas Day.
Duchess Kate underwent surgery on January 16th, and although the condition and reason for the surgery were not disclosed, Kensington Palace announced that it was not due to cancer.
The palace initially provided only important updates and said she would not return to royal duties until Easter (March 31 this year), but last month issued a statement saying she was feeling well. did.
A royal aide told The Sun newspaper at the time: Despite everything she's had on social media, she said the princess has a right to privacy and she's asking the public to respect that. ”
Further questions arose last week when the British military announced, apparently without consulting palace officials, that Kate, Duchess Kate, would attend the Trooping the Color ceremony in June.
It is the responsibility of palace authorities, not government departments, to announce attendance at royal events. Kensington Palace did not confirm any public events Kate had planned, and the military later removed any mention of her attending.
Prince William, Queen Camilla and other senior members of the royal family attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday. Neither the Duchess nor the King were scheduled to attend the event, but dozens of anti-monarchy demonstrators gathered, holding placards that read “Defeat the Crown.”
Veteran public relations consultant Mark Borkowski said the photo blunder exposed the monarchy's wider public relations problems.
“There doesn't seem to be a lot of coordinated strategic thinking at the center of the royal family at the moment, which is causing these problems and making it a very difficult organization to manage in terms of public relations,” he said. .
“If the statement was given as an explanation, I think they rose to the challenge,” he said Monday of Kate's apology. “With all the conspiracy theories floating around, the question is whether people will believe it.” he said. And I don't know if they will. ”
