KUALA LUMPUR – Catherine, Princess of Wales, has apologised over the contentious official family photo that was pulled by news agencies today.
“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,” the princess posted on the Kensington Royal account on X.
The message was also signed off with a “C” for Catherine.
A slew of news agencies, including the Associated Press (AP), AFP and Reuters, pulled the first official photo of Catherine released since her abdominal surgery in January, claiming the image was manipulated.
The photo released by Kensington Palace to mark Mother’s Day in Britain shows a smiling Catherine sitting on a garden chair, dressed in jeans, a sweater and a dark jacket, surrounded by her three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
In a statement, the palace said the photo was taken in Windsor earlier this week by the princess’ husband, Prince William.
However, AFP, in a note to its wire clients, said: “It has come to light that the handout issued by Kensington Palace today of Kate and the kids had been altered, therefore, it was withdrawn from AFP systems”.
Meanwhile, the AP said: “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image”.
Kensington Palace has declined to comment.
Catherine, 42, has been recovering mainly at home in Windsor since leaving the hospital on January 29. She was hospitalised at the London Clinic on January 16 for an abdominal surgery. – March 11, 2024