Kate Middleton had seemingly broken her silence after undergoing surgery in January with a picture and message shared on social media in honor of Mothering Sunday in the U.K., but within just a few hours, news wire agencies including the Associated Press and Reuters retracted the photograph over suspicions of manipulation—fueling further speculation about Middleton’s health status and whereabouts, which have recently appeared shrouded in secrecy and misdirection. Read More: The Royal PR Team Is Out of Its Depth On March 10,
the Prince and Princess of Wales’ X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts posted a picture of the future queen, 42, with her three children—George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5. The photo is dated 2024 and credited to her husband, Prince William, 41.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C,” the caption for the posts read, signing off with the first letter of her full name, Catherine. Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.
Several news wire agencies originally published the photo, as provided by Kensington Palace, but later removed it. “At closer inspection, it appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards,” the Associated Press said after issuing a “kill notification,” an industry term flagging the withdrawal to its partner publishers.
“The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.” Reuters said it also pulled the photo “following a post-publication review,” citing its picture editors who found that “part of the sleeve of Kate’s daughter’s cardigan did not line up properly, suggesting that the image had been altered. Reuters could not immediately establish how, why or by whom the alteration had been made.” Agence France-Presse (AFP) also issued a “kill” notice to its partner publishers, saying the photo had been recalled “due to an editorial issue.” Getty Images said in a statement to media outlets that it, too, had “identified a problematic image provided to Getty Images by Kensington Palace” and that it removed it from its site “in accordance with our editorial policy.”
