Princess of Wales sorry for ‘any confusion’ over edited photo

Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, issued an apology on social media on Monday for “any confusion” caused by an edited photograph which had been issued by Kensington Palace the previous day.

Several leading news organisations withdrew the picture of Kate, 42, posing with her three children after post-publication analysis showed it did not meet their editorial standards.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the message on X said, signed with a “C” meaning it was sent by Kate. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

In the picture a smiling Kate, 42, was shown posing with her beaming children Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte in Windsor, where the family lives. Kensington Palace said the photo had been taken by her husband, heir to the throne Prince William, last week.

News agencies including Getty, Reuters, the Associated Press and AFP and the Press Association later withdrew the photograph. Reuters picture editors said part of the sleeve of Kate’s daughter’s cardigan did not line up properly, suggesting the image had been altered.

A royal source said Kate had wanted to post an informal picture of her family to mark Mother’s Day, which was celebrated in Britain on Sunday, and had made minor adjustments.

The picture had already attracted huge media attention as it was the first official photograph of Kate since she spent two weeks in hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery in January for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition.

Though her office said she would not return to public duties until after Easter and that she was recovering well, her absence has led to intense speculation about her health on social media.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” Kate wrote in a message that accompanied Sunday’s picture.

Reuters