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- By Emma Harrison and Sean Coughlan
- bbc news
Image source, Kelvin Bruce/Jim Bennett
On Monday afternoon, the Princess of Wales was seen in public with William, as the couple left Windsor in a car.
The Princess of Wales has apologized “for any confusion” after saying she edited a Mother’s Day photograph of her and her children.
His statement was published on Kensington Palace’s social media after five agencies retracted it over editing issues.
“Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time,” said Catherine.
The image, taken by the Prince of Wales, was the first of Catherine published since her surgery in January.
PA, Getty Images, AFP, Associated Press (AP) and Reuters had removed the image. The AP noted an “inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
The Princess of Wales was seen being driven out of Windsor in a car with Prince William on Monday as he traveled to a Commonwealth Day service which she did not attend.
Watch: BBC Verify examines real Mother’s Day photo
In her statement on
The apology, posted on social media, comes from the official account of the Prince and Princess of Wales, but has the personal signature “C”, of Catherine.
She takes responsibility for changes to the photograph, rather than her husband Prince William, who took the photo, or any member of the wider team surrounding the royal couple.
A closer look at the image reveals that: (1) Part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve is missing, (2) Catherine’s hand is blurry compared to Louis’ sweater, (3) a misaligned zipper, (4) a misalignment in the background and (5) a blur of Princess Charlotte’s knee
According to royal sources, the Princess of Wales made “small adjustments” to the image which was later posted online by Kensington Palace.
Kensington Palace said it will not reissue the original unedited photograph of Catherine and her children.
We know the photo was edited, but some basic information about the image is unknown, such as when exactly it was taken, what was changed, or whether it was a combination of multiple images.
The photograph shows the princess sitting, surrounded by Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George, the latter hugging her.
It was the first official photo of the Princess of Wales since her abdominal surgery two months ago. Since then she has stayed away from the public eye.
The image was posted with a message from Catherine that read: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the past two months.
“I wish you all a happy Mother’s Day.”
The photo was only intended to be an “amateur family photograph” posted to commemorate Mother’s Day, royal sources say.
The implication is that this was not professional manipulation, but a cleanup of an image capturing a family moment.
Except this wasn’t just a personal photo, it was going to be shared with the world, in a context where it would inevitably be seen as an attempt to stop speculation and conspiracy theories about Catherine, as she recovers from an operation.
‘Raising more questions’
Instead of giving an answer to such rumors, he inadvertently ended up raising more questions.
The photo will also spark debates about how media outlets should use social media images or clips produced without the involvement of independent journalists.
Although most public royal events feature professional photographers and press representatives, this was seen as a private moment, captured by the family themselves, while the princess recovers.
The only previous photograph of the princess since her operation was a paparazzi photo, which was not used by UK news organizations due to concerns about privacy breaches.
There have been previous examples of Kensington Palace releasing video footage without outside journalists present, including a visit by the Princess of Wales to a “baby bank” that helps disadvantaged families.
The Mother’s Day image was featured on the front pages of several national newspapers and websites, including BBC News, and used in television news bulletins, including again by the BBC.
In order to use the new photo as quickly as possible, the BBC took the one used by Kensington Palace on its social media accounts.
Image source, Prince of Wales/Kensington Palace
Five photo agencies retracted the image for fear that it had been “manipulated.” The Associated Press issued a “takedown notice” – an industry term used to make a retraction – on Sunday night, saying: “On closer inspection it appears the source has manipulated the image. No photograph will be submitted. replacement”.
Reuters said it had also removed the image “following a post-publication review” and the AFP also issued a “mandatory takedown notice.”
Getty Images became the fourth organization to retract the photo. And the Palestinian Authority said later on Monday that it had also retracted the image, on the basis that there was no clarification from Kensington Palace.
Most news organizations follow their own strict guidelines on the use of doctored photographs, using them only when accompanied by an explanation that the image has been altered from the original.
Therefore, news agencies, like AP, make a commitment to their clients that their photographs are accurate and not digitally manipulated.
AP rules only allow “minor adjustments” in certain circumstances, including cropping and tone and color adjustments, as well as removing dust on camera sensors. He says changes to density, contrast, color and saturation levels “that substantially alter the original scene” are not acceptable.
The Princess of Wales was seen in public with William on Monday, when the couple left Windsor in a car.
Kensington Palace said the Prince of Wales would be transferred to the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London.
Catherine did not attend the service but was understood to have a private appointment.
Queen Camilla and Prince of Wales lead Royals at Commonwealth Day service
William appeared alongside Queen Camilla at the Commonwealth Celebration Service.
Some 56 countries make up the Commonwealth of Nations (celebrating its 75th anniversary this year), most of which are territories of the former British Empire. In 14 of these countries, in addition to the United Kingdom, the King is head of state.
On Monday night, Prince William spoke at an event in central London for the Earthshot Prize.
He called on investors and philanthropists to “join us in our mission” to help environmental innovators scale their projects through the new online platform Launchpad.
William said “the ideas and ambition to put our planet on a healthier path already exist.”
“But this is urgent,” he added. “We are in the critical decade.”
The Earthshot Prize aims to raise more than £400 million for new projects.
Catherine, 42, spent 13 nights at the London Clinic, near Regent’s Park in central London, after the surgery.
Prince William came to see his wife during her stay and the king also visited her before he received his own treatment there.
The Palace has shared few details about his condition, sparking significant speculation on social media, but has said it is not related to cancer.
The team supporting the princess while she recovers is small and limited to those closest to her.
During her stay, the Palace said the princess wanted her personal medical information to remain private, adding that she wanted to “maintain as much normality as possible for her children.”
The Palace said it would only provide updates on his recovery when there was significant new information to share.