What started out as a happy Mother’s Day celebration photo of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, with her three kids is slowly turning out to be a huge and controversial Photoshop scandal.
On Sunday, Kensington Palace shared an adorable image of Kate sporting a big smile along with her children. The image seemingly put to bed questions regarding the Princess’ health and whereabouts following her abdominal surgery.
Unfortunately, the Mother’s Day photo has now been pulled by The Blast and several other prominent agencies, such as AP and Reuters, over claims that it has been doctored and “manipulated.”
Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day Pic Pulled By Agencies Over ‘Manipulation’ Claims
Amid rumors and speculations about Kate Middleton’s well-being and health, Kensington Palace released a striking photo on Mother’s Day. The picture featured the princess with a broad smile while hugging her three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The normal-looking image seemingly quelled the worries and fears of royal fans regarding Kate’s health, as it would be the first official photo of the 53-year-old since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when people pointed out that the image had been photoshopped in an attempt to put an end to rumors about Kate’s absence from the public eye.
Multiple photo agencies such as AP and Reuters have pulled the new photo of Kate Middleton shared by Kensington Palace from circulation amid concerns that it was ‘manipulated.’
Associated Press said the photo was being ‘killed’: “At closer inspection, it appears that the source… pic.twitter.com/QRxQGenBSN
— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 10, 2024
This was further exacerbated when prominent agencies, such as Getty AP, Reuters, and AFP, decided to pull the Mother’s Day photo of the Princess of Wales over fears that it had been digitally “manipulated.”
In an alert issued by AP, they demanded that the photograph be removed from “all platforms including social media where it may be visible.”
Their reason? “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
Kensington Palace has yet to issue a response to the shocking reaction the photo has received from prominent agencies.
Royal Fans Thrown Into A Frenzy Over The Kate Middleton Photo
Over on social media, royal fans have been having a hard time wrapping their head around the reason behind the possibly photoshopped image. This has also led to increased worries about the Princess of Wales’ health status.
One eagle-eyed individual said, “I wasn’t in on this whole conspiracy about Kate Middleton missing and the royals covering it up until they dropped this obviously fake photo today to appease public concern. I do photography, and work with post-processing/editing a lot … here are just a few unexplainable issues.”
I wasn’t in on this whole conspiracy about Kate Middleton missing and the royals covering it up until they dropped this obviously fake photo today to appease public concern.
I do photography, and work with post processing/editing a lot … here are just a few unexplainable issues pic.twitter.com/O0NBUpIYru
— Jon | Mark (@NerdyTeacher_) March 10, 2024
Another person stated, “I’m not generally into conspiracy theories but this Kate Middleton photo has got me feeling like a flat earther.”
A third person pointed out that this isn’t the first time the royal family has been accused of doctoring an image.
Just a reminder that Kate Middleton (or should I say the royal family) was caught doctoring photos not once.
This photo of Queen Elizabeth with her great-grandchildren was poorly edited too. It was taken by Kate. pic.twitter.com/NITedk4eft
— Katerina 🇺🇦 (@Le__Katerina) March 10, 2024
They said, “Just a reminder that Kate Middleton (or should I say the royal family) was caught doctoring photos not once. This photo of Queen Elizabeth with her great-grandchildren was poorly edited too. It was taken by Kate.”
Kate Middleton’s Health Has Reportedly Left Her Frail
The shocking news of Kate’s allegedly doctored Mother’s Day photo comes after a report claiming that the Princess of Wales has been left feeling “fragile” by the state of her health.
Royal expert Jennie Bond slammed Kate’s Uncle, Gary Goldsmith, who recently appeared on “Celebrity Big Brother,” noting that his appearance on the show might affect Kate, who is currently recovering from her surgery.
She told The Mirror, “Clearly whatever’s happened to Catherine, she’s probably feeling fragile — mentally as well.”
Bond added, “To have a serious setback like this at the prime of your life, it must knock your confidence and so she’ll be fragile at this stage in her recovery and to have this thrown at her. She must just be thinking, ‘Why, why, why did Uncle Gary have to do this?’ I imagine she’s thoroughly depressed about it,”
Before being evicted from the show, Goldsmith claimed that Kate was on the mend and was “getting the best care in the world.”
Kate Middleton’s Name Removed From Trooping The Colours Attendees List
To add more controversy to the Kate Middleton conspiracy, her name was recently removed from the Trooping The Colours Attendees List after the Ministry of Defence faced backlash for claiming she would attend the event.
A “practice” parade with Kate as an honorary colonel of the Irish Guards was scheduled on June 8, but ticket sales were canceled due to claims that the MoD moved too quickly without consulting the palace.
Kensington Palace clarified they were not “consulted” on the announcement and stated that any official engagements for Kate would be confirmed by them “only.” They reiterated that while the princess’ recovery progresses, her return to public duties should not expected until after Easter.
On the other hand, King Charles III, who is undergoing cancer treatment, was also announced to be attending the Trooping The Colour event; however, Buckingham Palace has not confirmed this.