What’s going on with that Kate Middleton photo?
The first official photo of Princess Kate since her abdominal surgery has been retracted by news services, including the Associated Press, following concerns the photo was doctored.
An attempt from Kensington Palace to squash rumors about Princess Kate of Wales’ well-being and whereabouts backfired majorly.
Over the weekend, the first official photo of the princess — pictured with her three children and published by the palace — went viral when closer examinations revealed a slew of continuity errors. The scrutiny prompted several newswire services to retract their publications of the photo.
And in turn, the conspiracy theories — some tongue-in-cheek, but some more serious — are swirling once more.
Here’s what went down.
How did the Princess Kate rumors begin in the first place?
Rumors about Princess Kate started spreading online when, in mid-January, Kensington Palace announced she had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” and would be recovering in the hospital for about two weeks. At that time, Kate’s last public appearance was Christmas Day.
The surprise health announcement came just an hour before the palace announced King Charles III was receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate. As noted by the New York Times, the one-two punch revealed that two of Britain’s royal family’s most senior members were now facing health trials.
But as King Charles began to be photographed and resumed official business, Kate was not in the public eye. Her husband, Prince William, also scaled back his royal duties and bowed out at the last minute from a planned appearance to speak at a memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine.
Those events fueled a barrage of concern and conspiracy regarding Kate’s whereabouts, health, and personal life.
Princess Kate’s absence from the public became a meme
While some of the rumors and theories were seriously concerned for the Pprincess, others poked fun at the royal’s sudden absence from what’s typically a very public role.
From suggestions that she was waiting for an unfortunate haircut to grow out to jokes she ran off with Pete Davidson, internet users have discussed “going down the rabbit hole” regarding conspiracy theories about Kate.
Did the royals say anything at the time?
Yes, but not much. The palace issued a statement saying Kate continued to heal and the family asked for their privacy to be respected. But it only fanned the flames, leading spectators to comment on the lack of paparazzi photos or Kate sightings.
Critics compared the palace’s urging for privacy — and British tabloids actually appearing to comply — to the media circus surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the height of their involvement with the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been public about their frustrations with the paparazzi, tabloids, and lack of privacy. Fans have also pointed to Princess Kate’s precedent, being public and photo-ready mere hours postpartum, but ducking out of the limelight for months since her recent surgery.
What happened with the family photo of Princess Kate?
On Sunday, Kensington Palace released the first official photo since Kate’s surgery, commemorating Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom.
The photo was of Kate surrounded by her and William’s three children. It marked the first time Kate had been seen — aside from a grainy alleged paparazzi photo of her in a car that also received scrutiny and the meme treatment — since January.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the Prince and Princess of Wales wrote in an Instagram caption. The photo was also circulated to publications by the palace. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.” It was signed off with a “C,” to mark Kate — or Catherine’s — personal signature on the note.
But a string of apparent photo-editing errors only sparked more rumors.
What were some of the editing errors pointed out?
On social media, users began to point out inconsistencies and oddities with the photo, some even suggesting artificial intelligence was at play.
There were issues with depth perception (one of Kate’s hands is clear and one is blurry but both are the same distance from the camera), clothing (several necklines look altered), and distortion. Eagle-eyed viewers also pointed out Kate wasn’t wearing her wedding ring.
One person even joked that the photo was clearly fake because Prince William reportedly took it, and men are stereotypically bad at taking flattering photos of their partners.
Even if the edits were innocent — the royals have been known to clean up family photos in the past — coupled with Kate’s privacy, consumers again were left with more questions than answers.
Which publications withdrew publication of Princess Kate’s photo?
After the photos circulating and gaining more scrutiny, five news agencies opted to withdraw the family photo, citing concerns it was “manipulated.”
By Sunday evening, Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images, AFP, and PA — a major UK news agency — all pulled the photo.
What is a kill notice?
When the Associated Press announced it was rescinding use of the photo, it sent a “kill notification” to its clients, meaning the news service would not be using the photo and was advising its news partners to do the same.
What has Princess Kate or Kensington Palace said so far?
When the photo was pulled by the five news sites, Kensington Palace declined to comment.
But on Monday morning, Kate spoke out on social media, blaming personal experimentation.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the statement said. “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.”
Unsurprisingly, the internet’s not buying it.