Rumors about Princess Kate continue after she apologized for editing photos

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, apologized for the “confusion” caused by her editing a family photo published by the palace, which is a photo of Kate and her children, with the aim of calming concern and speculation about the health of the member of the British royal family. But who was he? The opposite effect.

Several news outlets that initially published the photo removed the image due to concerns about digital manipulation. The photo published by the couple's office at Kensington Palace on Sunday on the occasion of Mother's Day in Britain was the first official photo of Kate (42 years old) since she underwent abdominal surgery nearly two years ago.

The retractions caused a proliferation of Internet rumors, which were already rife over Kate's operation and recovery. The public relations disaster is further evidence of this The old royal family motto of “never complain, never explain” has become impossible in an age saturated with social media.

Kate said in her social media post on Monday “Like many amateur photographers, I sometimes experiment with editing.” He added: “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday.”

In the past, the palace published many family photos of Kate, showing her and her husband, Crown Prince William, with their children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

Kensington Palace said the latest photo was taken by William. Kate said in the accompanying message: “Thank you for your well wishes and continued support over the past two months. Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day.”

Although there is no indication that the photo is fake, AP She retracted its publication because closer examination revealed that the source had doctored the photo in a way that did not meet the news organization's photographic standards. For example, it contained an asymmetry in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand with the sleeve of her jacket.

Other major news agencies, incl GT, Reuters, France Press agency The national agency in the United Kingdom, Palestinian AuthorityThey also removed the photo.

Kensington Palace said so I will not post the original, unedited photo. While Kate's statement provided some clarification, it seems unlikely to have helped stop the spiral of rumors that accelerated during her absence from public events.

Former correspondent of the channel BBC Royal expert Peter Hunt said that mishandling of the publication of the photos “harms the royal family.”

“They knew there would be a lot of interest in any photo they posted of Kate,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The challenge for them is that people will now wonder whether they can be trusted and believed the next time they post an update about their health.”

The royal family is under special scrutiny because King Charles III has also had to cancel public engagements while undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. The king canceled all his public duties, although he was photographed walking to church and meeting privately with government officials and dignitaries.

Charles's relative candor about his diagnosis marked a new departure for the usually secretive royal family. But popular interest in Kate overwhelmed him. In the absence of clear information, conspiracy theories rushed to fill the void.

Posting the Mother's Day photo came after weeks of gossip on social media about what has happened to Kate since she left hospital on January 29 after two weeks in hospital for a planned surgery. The princess has not been seen in public since Christmas.

Kate underwent surgery on January 16, and her health condition and the reason for the operation were not revealed. Although Kensington Palace said it was not linked to cancer.

The palace initially said only important updates would be provided and that the princess would not return to royal duties before Easter on March 31 this year. He then published a statement last month saying he was fine.

Then royal advisors told the newspaper the sun: “We have seen the craze of social networks and this will not change our strategy. “There has been a lot on social media, but the princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that.”

More questions were raised last week when the British Army appeared to rush to announce that Kate would attend the Flag Parade in June, apparently without consulting palace officials.

It is up to palace officials, not government departments, to announce the royal presence at events. Kensington Palace did not confirm any public events scheduled for Kate, and the military later removed reference to her attendance.

William, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family attended a Commonwealth Day Mass at Westminster Abbey on Monday. Neither Kate nor the king were present at the service, which attracted dozens of anti-monarchy demonstrators who carried banners reading “Down with the Crown.”

William was also scheduled to speak at the Earthshot Prize Awards, an environmental competition he founded.

Veteran public relations consultant Mark Borkowski said the faltering photo revealed a broader public relations problem for the monarchy.

“There doesn't seem to be a lot of shared strategic thinking within the royal family at the moment, which leads to these problems for an organization that is very difficult to manage in terms of PR,” he said.

“I think they rose to the challenge and presented the statement as an explanation,” he said of Kate's apology. “The question is whether people believe it with all the conspiracy theories going around. “I'm not sure they will.”

(AP)