Kate Middleton family photo recalled by picture agencies over fears it’s been digitally ‘manipulated’
A picture’s worth a thousand words — except when it’s recalled.
Multiple photo agencies, including Reuters, the Associated Press, Getty, and AFP, have withdrawn the Mother’s Day photo Kensington Palace released Sunday picturing Kate Middleton and her three children over fears that it has been digitally “manipulated.”
A “kill notification” reportedly released by AP reads, “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
Sources told The Mirror on Sunday that the photo agencies believed the photograph — which was taken by Prince William — of Middleton, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, has been altered from the original.
Social media sleuths were quick to point out that some of Charlotte’s arm appears to be missing, Middleton isn’t wearing her wedding ring, and her arms appear to be extra long to be able to wrap around Charlotte and Louis.
Breaking down Kate Middleton's Photoshop fail
- On Monday, Kensington Palace released a new photo and statement from Kate Middleton for UK Mother’s Day. Eagle-eyed fans immediately saw the photo — showing Kate surrounded by her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — was littered with mistakes, either from Photoshop or AI.
- The photo, the original of which Kensington Palace refuses to release, was quickly recalled by photo agencies over fears it had been digitally “manipulated.”
- Middleton issued an apology Monday after her photo went viral for its numerous Photoshop errors. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said.
- One major telltale sign of manipulation was that a portion of Charlotte’s wrist seems to be missing from under the chopped-off sleeve of her cardigan. Charlotte’s checkered skirt likewise does not line up, with the right edge sticking out at a strange right angle and overlapping with George’s hands.
- Another unusual detail that raised questions about the image’s veracity is Prince Louis’ crossed fingers on his right hand — and a seemingly fuzzy and broken pattern on the right sleeve of his gray sweater.
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“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the photo’s caption read, referring to concern around to suspicions around Middleton’s whereabouts. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” they wrote of the British holiday.
The Post has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
Middleton continues to stay out of the public as she recovers from a planned abdominal surgery she underwent in January.
She was photographed Monday in a car with her mother, Carole, but critics were skeptical about the legitimacy of that snapshot, too.
