LONDON: Kate, Princess of Wales, apologised Monday for "confusion" caused by her
editing
of a family photo released by the palace - an image of
Kate
and her children that was intended to calm concern and speculation about the British royal's health, but had the opposite effect.
Several news
agencies
that initially published the photo withdrew the image over concerns about digital manipulation. Issued by the couple's Kensington Palace office Sunday to mark Mother's Day in Britain, it was the first official photo of Kate since she had abdominal surgery nearly two months ago.
The retractions sent the online rumour mill, already rampant with speculation over Kate's operation and recuperation, into overdrive.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," Kate said in a post on social media. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."
In the past, the palace has issued several of Kate's family snapshots featuring her and Prince William with their children George, 10; Charlotte, 8; and Louis, 5.
The latest photo was taken by William, the Palace said. In an accompanying post on social media, Kate said: "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."
Major news agencies, including AP, Getty, Reuters and AFP, retracted the image. AP retracted it because closer inspection revealed the source had
manipulated
the image in a way that did not meet its photo standards. For instance, the image shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Charlotte's left hand. Shortly before Kate's statement was issued on Monday, Britain's national news agency said it was following suit. Kensington Palace said it would not release the original unedited photograph.
Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the mishandled photo release "is damaging for the royals."
"They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate," he wrote on X. "Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update."
The release of the photo followed weeks of gossip about what had happened to Kate since she left hospital on Jan. 29 after a nearly two-week stay following planned surgery. She hadn't been seen publicly since Christmas Day.
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