Kate Middleton Conspiracies Given New Lease Of Life After Major News Agencies Pull Family Photo Amid Concerns It Was “Manipulated”

Jake Kanter

March 10, 2024 at 6:46 p.m.·2 min read

It was meant to be a wholesome image to celebrate Mother’s Day in the UK, but a photo of Kate Middleton and her children has ended in controversy for the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Four major news agencies — Associated Press, Getty Images, Reuters, and AFP — have pulled the photo from their libraries amid concerns it was manipulated by Kensington Palace.

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AP issued a “kill notification” for clients, telling those who use its service that on “closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.” Reuters said it was deleting the picture after a post-publication review.

In pictures: Kate, the Princess of Wales, through the years. We are deleting a post containing an image of the Princess of Wales following a post-publication review https://t.co/KNsVFdQVmG pic.twitter.com/gpX98ThhH6
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 10, 2024

As of Sunday evening UK time, Kensington Palace had not commented.

The Prince and Princess of Wales released the photo on Sunday, wishing followers a happy Mother’s Day. The image was purportedly taken by Prince William this year.

Royal commentators initially said the image would combat weeks of fevered speculation about Middleton’s health after she disappeared from public life following abdominal surgery in January.

But the image has further fueled conspiracies after eagle-eyed social media users spotted defects in the photo that suggested it had been altered.

Chris Ship, ITV News’ royal editor, said there were “serious questions” for Kensington Palace after it appeared that elements of the image, including Princess Charlotte’s sleeve, were doctored.

I’ve never been much of a conspiracy theorist but if @AP @AFP @Reuters & other picture agencies are concerned enough to remove it and ask clients to delete it, there are serious questions for Kensington Palace – which was the source of the photo.
These appears to be the issues 👇 https://t.co/ifcSB9mUzu pic.twitter.com/bH5gN9fJtJ
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 10, 2024

The issue looks set to make front-page news in the UK on Monday.

I suspect this was not the headline Kensington Palace was hoping to get from the normally supportive @Telegraph on Monday morning:
“Photo from Palace was doctored, say agencies”. pic.twitter.com/W7JxIgdlQA
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 10, 2024

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