Kate, Princess of Wales, apologized Monday for 鈥渃onfusion鈥� released by the palace 鈥� an image of Kate and her children that was intended to calm concern and speculation about the British royal鈥檚 health, but had the opposite effect.
Several news agencies that initially published the photo, including , withdrew the image over concerns about digital manipulation. Issued by the couple鈥檚 Kensington Palace office on Sunday to mark Mother鈥檚 Day in Britain, it was the first official photo of Kate since she had nearly two months ago.
The retractions sent the online rumor mill, already rampant over Kate鈥檚 operation and recuperation, into overdrive.
In a post on social media, Kate said that 鈥渓ike many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.鈥�
鈥淚 wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,鈥� the post said.
In the past, the palace has issued several of Kate鈥檚 family snapshots featuring her and Prince William with their children Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5.
The latest photo was taken by William, Kensington Palace said. In an accompanying message posted on social media, Kate said: 鈥淭hank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother鈥檚 Day.鈥�
While there was no suggestion the photo was fake, AP retracted it because closer inspection revealed the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP鈥檚 photo standards. For instance, the image shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte鈥檚 left hand.
Other major news agencies, including Getty, Reuters and AFP, did the same on Sunday.
Shortly before Kate鈥檚 statement was issued on Monday, Britain鈥檚 national news agency said it was following suit. PA said it had asked Kensington Palace for clarification about the image and 鈥渋n the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.鈥�
Kensington Palace said it would not release the original unedited photograph. And while Kate鈥檚 statement provided a measure of clarification, it looked unlikely to stop the swirl of rumor that has accelerated during her absence from public duties.
Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the mishandled photo release 鈥渋s damaging for the royals.鈥�
鈥淭hey knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate,鈥� he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 鈥淭heir challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.鈥�
The royal family is under particular scrutiny because has also had to cancel public duties while he undergoes treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. The monarch has canceled all his public engagements, though he has been photographed walking to church and meeting privately with government officials and dignitaries.
Charles鈥� relative openness about his diagnosis was a departure for the generally secretive royal family. But it has been eclipsed in popular interest by curiosity over Kate鈥檚 condition. In the absence of firm information, conspiracy theories have rushed to fill the vacuum.
The release of the photo followed weeks of gossip on social media about what had happened to Kate since she left a hospital Jan. 29 after a nearly two-week stay following planned surgery. She hadn鈥檛 been seen publicly since Christmas Day.
Kate, 42, underwent surgery Jan. 16 and her condition and the reason for the operation have not been revealed, though Kensington Palace said it was not cancer-related.
Although the palace initially said that it would only provide significant updates and that she would not return to royal duties before Easter 鈥� March 31 this year 鈥� it followed up with a statement last month by saying she was doing well and reiterating its previous statement.
鈥淜ensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess鈥� recovery and we鈥檇 only be providing significant updates,鈥� the palace said Feb. 29. 鈥淭hat guidance stands.鈥�
At the time, royal aides told The Sun newspaper: 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen the madness of social media and that is not going to change our strategy. There has been much on social media but the princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that.鈥�
Further questions were raised last week when the British military seemed to jump the gun in announcing Kate would attend a ceremony in June, apparently without consulting palace officials.
It鈥檚 up to palace officials, not government departments, to announce the royals鈥� attendance at events. Kensington Palace didn鈥檛 confirm any scheduled public events for Kate, and the army later removed reference to her attendance.
Veteran public relations consultant Mark Borkowski said the photo gaffe exposed a wider PR problem for the monarchy.
鈥淭here doesn鈥檛 seem to be that much joined-up strategic thinking at the heart of the royal family at the moment, which leads to these problems where it鈥檚 a very difficult organization to manage in terms of PR,鈥� he said.
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