LONDON: Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Monday apologised and admitted to editing an official portrait of her released by the palace that prompted this news agency and other agencies to withdraw the image.

Kate, 42, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service, and underwent abdominal surgery in January, fuelling speculation about her health.

Her Kensington Palace office on Sunday sought to dispel rumours by distributing an official photograph said to have been taken by her husband Prince William of his wife with their three children.

But questions quickly emerged about the Mother’s Day portrait of a smiling Kate, casually dressed and seated in a garden chair, surrounded by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

They included several inconsistencies such as the zip of Kate’s jacket being misaligned in one place, while part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve is missing. The eight-year-old princess’s hair also ends abruptly on her shoulder.

Responding to the growing controversy on Monday, the palace issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), signed by “C” for Catherine. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” it stated.

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.” Royal sources told several British media outlets that Kate had made “minor adjustments” to the picture. Kensington Palace, however, said it would not republish the original, unedited photo.

AFP, Getty, the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters all have policies about distributing manipulated images. They initially published the photo but pulled it late Sunday.

They decided after consultation that the modifications were “in violation of the ethical standards of the profession”, said AFP’s deputy news director in charge of photo, Eric Baradat.

“AFP felt compelled to remove the photo to preserve the trust of its subscribers and maintain transparency to the public, especially in a society where manipulated images are prevalent,” he added. By late morning Monday, the Press Association — a central UK media industry agency with close links to the palace — had also withdrawn the image. Many commentators suggested the furore cast fresh doubt on royal reassurances about Kate’s health and recuperation.

Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, said the situation was “damaging” for the family. “They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate,” he said.

“Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.”

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2024