Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have broken their silence on the controversy surrounding Kate Middleton‘s Mother’s Day celebration portrait. Harry and Meghan distanced themselves from claims a source from their camp said the Duchess would “never make that mistake.”
The source also reportedly claimed that the outcome would have been different for the Sussexes, insisting that Harry and Meghan would have been “annihilated” if they had edited their family photo.
Harry And Meghan Break Silence On Kate’s Photoshop Controversy
According to Newsweek, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spoken up about the controversial photo of Kate and her kids Kensington Palace shared to celebrate the British Mother’s Day.
Following the public uproar the “heavily edited” photo caused, Page Six reported that an official source from their camp mocked Kate’s photo and commented on what Meghan would have done if she were in a similar situation.
A spokesperson from the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation has now come out to deny the reports, stating that it hadn’t come “from us.”
“With respect to Page Six, that did not come from us,” the spokesperson said.
Page Six did not state that the comments came from someone inside Archewell, as Newsweek pointed out that they could have come from someone close to the Sussexes who was expressing a personal opinion and was not officially authorized to speak on their behalf.
Kate Middleton’s Photoshop Fail Mounts Outcry For Original
The scandal has since intensified the barrage of conspiracy theories surrounding the true state of the princess’ health as calls mount for the palace to release the original photo, which experts say would be the only solution to the controversy.
“Kate’s statement answers no questions. We can all see the photo has been edited,” Graham Smith of the anti-monarchy group Republic said, per the Daily Mail.
He added, “The question is why? Why haven’t they released the original photo? A statement parsed via the press office which says nothing and explains nothing shows a general disregard for the public.
“Kensington Palace must now come up with a full and plausible explanation of how and why this cack-handed attempt at media manipulation came about,” former journalist Michael Cole said. “Otherwise, there is a danger of permanent damage to the credibility of the royal family.”
It comes after Kate’s extended absence from the public eye as she recovers from abdominal surgery. However, Kensington Palace stated that the unedited photo of Kate and her children will not be re-released.
The Princess Took The Blame For The Photoshop Fail
Harry and Meghan’s stand on the issue comes after the Princess of Wales photo left a sour taste in the mouths of fans and royal watchers. Following the outrage, Kate took to X to offer a public apology for the “confusion” the photo caused.
“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,” she wrote in a post on Monday.
Sources close to the royal household also defended her claims, insisting that the photo was just “an amateur, family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales, [William.]”
The royal source also confirmed that the Wales only made “minor adjustments” in their effort to offer an “informal” picture of the family together for Mother’s Day.
A Kensington Palace source added, “The Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.”
Royal Expert Slams Prince William For Seemingly Allowing His Wife To Take The Fall Alone
As pressure mounts on the palace to be more transparent and forthcoming, especially on issues relating to the health status of King Charles and Kate, a royal correspondent blasted the Prince of Wales for leaving his wife high and dry.
Richard Eden, editor of the Daily Mail’s diary, said on “Palace Confidential” that Kate was “thrown under a bus” and William’s demeanor was “ungentlemanly” even as he was the one who took the picture.
Eden also claimed that Kensington officials behaved “disgracefully” after Kate apologized for the scandal, even though the palace shared the photo.
“I’m just so sad and sort of frustrated about the whole thing because I feel so sorry for Catherine,” he said. “It’s not some personal thing; it’s issued by Kensington Palace communications people, and then she has been thrown under a bus.”
Kate Middleton Was Allegedly Made To Give A Statement
Eden further speculated that the Princess of Wales was either made to or agreed to publish the personally signed statement.
“I think it’s disgraceful,” he continued. “It’s very ungentlemanly of Prince William to put the onus on her. For goodness sake, he’s the one who took the photograph.”
“And the officials made it public. They gave it out; it’s their job. I think it’s absolutely disgraceful that they’ve said to her, ‘You go and explain what you did.’ No, it’s your job. Take some responsibility,” he added.