Update: March 11, 2024 at 10:00 AM:
Kate Middleton apologized early Monday for editing her Mother’s Day photo. Kensington Palace issued the photo on Sunday to mark Mother’s Day in the UK.
The Palace said Prince William snapped the photo last week.
The Associated Press sent out a rare “kill notice” advising its member newspapers to remove the photo.
Reuters and the AFP also advised its clients to remove the photo because it showed signs of being “doctored.”
In a post on her Instagram page, Kate explained she edited the photo.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
She signed the message with a “C” for Catherine.
I’ve never been much of a conspiracy theorist but if @AP @AFP @Reuters & other picture agencies are concerned enough to remove it and ask clients to delete it, there are serious questions for Kensington Palace – which was the source of the photo.
These appears to be the issues ? https://t.co/ifcSB9mUzu pic.twitter.com/bH5gN9fJtJ— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 10, 2024
Prince William shared the first photo of Kate Middleton since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
Kate is seated on a chair surrounded by her three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and 5-year-old Prince Louis.
Kate, 42, underwent major abdominal surgery on January 16. Kensington Palace previously said she would be out of the public eye, recovering, until Easter.
But the palace unexpectedly released the photo after weeks of frenzied speculation that Kate was in a coma or deceased.
Some Instagram followers insisted the Mother’s Day photo was AI-generated.
One person wrote on Instagram:
“Post a REAL TIME LIVE VIDEO of her!!! Stop with these fake AI photos!!!!! Either she is well or not!!! I do not truly sense she is well.”
A recent image showed Kate riding in a car with her mother. The grainy photo, taken at a distance, fueled the conspiracy theories.
Kate kept the reason for her abdominal surgery a secret.
