Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, issued an apology on social media on Monday for “any confusion” caused by an edited photograph which was issued by her office Kensington Palace on Sunday.
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
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024
Several leading news organisations have withdrawn the photograph after post-publication analysis showed it did not meet their editorial standards.
The palace issued the photograph of Kate and her three children on Sunday, along with a message of thanks from the princess in her first public comments since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
News agencies including Getty, Reuters, Associated Press and AFP withdrew the photograph later in the day. Reuters picture editors said part of the sleeve of Kate’s daughter’s cardigan did not line up properly, suggesting that the image had been altered.
Leading picture agencies distributing news photographs prohibit the publication of images that have been overly edited.
The Reuters Handbook of Journalism states, for instance, that the editing tool Photoshop can only be used in very limited matters. “We use only a tiny part of its potential capability to format our pictures, crop and size them and balance the tone and color.”
The palace said the picture had been taken by Kate’s husband, heir-to-the-throne Prince William, last week. It showed Kate, 42, smiling and looking well, surrounded by Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
Kate has been absent from public royal life since Christmas Day, sparking rumours and speculation on social media about the health of the princess.
Kensington Palace said at the time of her surgery that Kate was unlikely to return to official duties until after Easter, which falls at the end of this month.
Officials had said they would provide only “significant updates” about her recovery.
(Reuters)
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