The Princess of Wales has issued a public apology and said she was responsible for digitally editing a Mother’s Day family photograph released to the media but withdrawn by international picture agencies over suspicions it had been “manipulated”.
The photo of Catherine and her three children, taken by the Prince of Wales last week and the first of the princess since she underwent abdominal surgery in January, caused widespread speculation on social media, with the incident used to raise questions over public trust in the royal family.
Released at a time when conspiracy theories over her illness and absence flooded social media, it sought to reassure the public of her recovery but was backfired spectacularly, fueling claims it could be faked.
With the debacle threatening to overshadow the king’s Commonwealth Day message, the princess released a brief statement on social media, which said: “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.”
Five international picture agencies that initially distributed the image sent to them by Kensington Palace took the rare – if not unprecedented – step of issuing so-called “kill” notices to withdraw it after concerns about manipulation, in particular with regard to Princess Charlotte’s cardigan sleeve . The UK-based PA Media later also withdrew it, after seeking and failing to get “urgent clarification” from the palace.
A royal source later said Catherine had made “minor adjustments” to her image. “This was an amateur, family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day.
“The princess made minor adjustments as she shared in her statement on social media, the Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day,” the source said.
Despite calls for the original to be published, Kensington Palace said it would not be reissuing the unedited photograph.
Claims of digital manipulation led to a feeding frenzy on social media, with comments calling into question the positioning of Catherine’s zip and the fact she was missing her wedding rings, the positioning of Prince Louis’s fingers, even the leaves of the background trees being too green for early March.
The debate has led to the palace facing controversy over the issue of trust, and raised questions over whether – or to what extent – the images have been altered in the past.
Under the licensing agreement issued to photo agencies for use of official photos, royal households usually stipulate: “This image must not be digitally enhanced, cropped, manipulated or modified in any manner or form.”
Sky News said an examination of the photo’s meta data revealed it was saved in Adobe Photoshop twice on an Apple Mac on Friday and Saturday and that the picture was taken on a Canon camera.
The row erupted before William and Queen Camilla were due to join the Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey in the absence of the king, who was continuing treatment for cancer.
Kensington Palace later confirmed that Catherine left Windsor in a car with William, who was driven to the service in London. She is not attending the proceedings but is understood to have a private appointment.
Mark Borkowski, a public relations consultant, called the photo fiasco a “massive own goal” and said the unedited image should be released to regain trust.
The independent factchecking website Full Fact says it exemplified how greater transparency is crucial in preserving trust in images online.
“In today’s information environment, any manipulation of an image, even relatively minor edits done with no intention to mislead, can raise suspicions,” said its chief executive, Chris Morris. “The rapid spread of image manipulation tools has changed the rules of the game. Conspiracy theories thrive in information vacuums, so if you want to be trusted, you have to be transparent.”
Graham Smith, of the campaign group Republic, said: “This kind of dystopian behavior you might expect from Soviet Russia, not modern Britain. The monarchy has always sought to manipulate and manage its image, but if they have tried to fake a photograph to silence online conspiracy theories, that is disgraceful.”
The royal author Omid Scobie, seen as a cheerleader for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, wrote on X that if it 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.”
Catherine underwent surgery at the London Clinic on 16 January but details of her condition have been kept private and she is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter.