Another image ofKate Middletonis under scrutiny.
Speculation arose online that the latest picture was also doctored, with social media users citing a difference in how the brick wall behind the vehicle looked through the window versus above the car.
The photo agency that captured the pictures, Goff Photos, denied editing the images. While they toldE! Newsthat the pics “have been cropped and lightened,” they clarified that “nothing has been doctored.”
Jim Bennett, the photographer who snapped the photos, tells PEOPLE, “We don’t change our photos in Photoshop other than adjusting the light levels if necessary. Car shots are unpredictable at the best of times and with some reflection on the glass it can be difficult.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton after King Charles' coronation on May 6, 2023.ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty
ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty
Bennett expected to see Prince William heading to London for the Commonwealth Day service.
He says, “It wasn’t until I checked on the back of the camera to make sure I had a frame of Prince William that I realized there was someone sitting next to him. It turned out to be Catherine!”
The Princess of Waleshas been out of the public eye since Christmasas she recovers from anabdominal surgerythat took place on Jan. 16. The Mother’s Day photo shared over the weekend marked the first official portrait of the royal since her procedure. Although the palace released the image likely with hopes ofquelling rumors about Princess Kate’s healththat have been circulating online, the snap quickly came under fire formultiple editing errors. Later on the day it was released, major photo agencies issued a “kill notification” on the image.
Prince William and Kate Middleton at the South Korea state visit in November 2023.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images
“We became aware of concerns about the image and we carried a report about it last night, and made clear that we were seeking urgent clarification about the image from Kensington Palace,” PA Media, one of the agencies that removed the photo from their service, said. “In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.”
Princess Kate said in a statement on Monday, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. 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.” The message was signed with a “C” for Catherine, indicating that the note came directly from Kate.
Apalace insider downplayed the PR crisis, telling PEOPLE exclusively that although the situation is a “bump in the road, it’s not an earthquake.”
“[Kate] has apologized and graciously so,” the insider says. “She has done something that 99% of us do — and we don’t have the scrutiny that they do.”
“Think of the level of scrutiny of pictures of her, as people pore over them,” the insider continues. “You’re always on display and always got to be perfect.”
Kate Middleton attends Windrush generation event on Oct. 3, 2023.Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images
Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images
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ButMark Borkowski, a London-based public relations and crisis communications expert, tells PEOPLE that there may be longstanding repercussions.
“The difficulty now is because there is so little information about what’s happening to Kate, if they were going to project things are all normal in this way — with a photo that is now deemed to be fake — it is pretty damning about the floundering and the poor decision making that’s going on,” he says.
source: people.com
