Kate, the Princess of Wales, apologized on Monday on social media for “any confusion” that may have arisen from an altered portrait that Kensington Palace had released the day before.
The image of 42-year-old Kate standing with her three kids was removed from several prestigious news outlets, including Getty, Reuters, the Associated Press and AFP, after it was determined through post-publication research that it did not adhere to their editorial guidelines.
The picture featured a smiling 42-year-old Kate beside her happy kids, Princes George and Louis, as well as Princess Charlotte, at Windsor, the family’s home. According to Kensington Palace, her husband, Prince William, the heir , took the picture last week.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the post on X said, signed with a “C” indicating that it was sent by Kate herself. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
Since it was Kate’s first public portrait since her two-week hospital stay following stomach surgery in January for an undisclosed ailment, the image had already garnered a great deal of media interest.
Photographic editors noted that a portion of Kate’s daughter’s cardigan sleeve did not line up correctly, raising the possibility that the picture had been manipulated.
Despite her office’s assurances that she was recuperating well and would not resume public responsibilities until after Easter, her absence has sparked a great deal of conjecture about her health on social media in recent weeks.
