'Royals must release unedited Kate Mother's Day photo as integrity is at stake'
The Prince and Princess of Wales need to release the original version of Kate's Mother's Day snap as their future integrity depends on it, an expert has warned.
Earlier today, Kate publicly took the blame for the manipulated family photograph released by Kensington Palace as she issued a personal apology for the 'confusion'. The photograph of Kate and her children, taken by the Prince of Wales, was the first to be issued since the princess’s abdominal surgery and was released by the Palace to mark Mother's Day. But it was withdrawn with a 'kill' notice by international picture agencies hours later, and the UK's PA news agency on Monday, because of suspicions it had been manipulated.
The Princess of Wales released a photo to mark Mother's Day (PA)
Kate pictured during her last public outing on Christmas Day (UK Press via Getty Images)Concerns were raised over a missing part of Princess Charlotte's sleeve and the misaligned edge of her skirt, with other speculation including the positioning of Kate's zip. Last week the palace hit out at "the madness of social media" after a series of conspiracy theories over Kate's whereabouts spiralled out of control. And according to royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop, the saga has taken "us back to square one".
She told the Mirror: "You know it's gone horribly wrong when the Princess of Wales pops up on X to apologise. But even the apology doesn't stack up. 'Like many amateur photographers I do occasionally experiment with editing,' she explained.
"We have long known that Kate is the Royal Family's photographer (a canny ruse for them to hold onto a vestige of control), but apparently it was William who took this photograph, so why is she the one modifying it? And if the Princess only indulged in a bit of light editing, why on earth doesn't the palace release the original photograph? Which takes us back to square one."
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In order to smooth over the situation, Tessa believes releasing the original unedited photo is the only move the royals can make. She explained: "Even at first glance on Mothering Sunday morning, that picture looked too good to be true. Anyone with three children knows just how hard it is to get a photograph of everyone at their best, smiling and looking towards the camera at the same time. And yet the royal brood were all beaming like there was no tomorrow.
Queen Camilla and Prince William at the Commonwealth Day service today (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)"William appeared to be both future King and genius photographer until some eagle-eyed royal watchers noticed Princess Charlotte's dodgy sleeve. Photoshop is one thing, but as a fellow historian put it, this looks like a 'composite, probably AI-generated, of more than one picture rather than a single candid snap'.
"And there is that crucial little word: 'candid'. This has blown up into a major media storm because people feel the royal family – who also double up as an institution of state – are not being honest with them. And if you can't trust Kensington Palace, then who can you trust? To make this go away the Palace need to release the original picture. The integrity of our future King and Queen is at stake."
After today's apology, William was all smiles at the Commonwealth Day service as he made his first public appearance since his wife admitted to 'editing' their Mother's Day picture. The event celebrating the family of nations is a major fixture in the royal year but has been overshadowed by the Princess of Wales' statement she manipulated a family photo released on Sunday.
The prince, who was spotted with Kate in his car while in London, arrived at Westminster Abbey alone before the Queen, and was greeted by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle, shaking his hands with the senior cleric. William was introduced to the Abbey's Chapter, or governing body, shaking their hands as he made his way along the line of clergy.
Missing was the King, who continues to receive treatment for cancer, but in his annual address to the family of nations, he pledged to continue to serve the Commonwealth "to the best of my ability". Since his cancer diagnosis was announced on February 5, Charles has postponed all public-facing duties but is continuing with behind-the-scenes work on his red boxes of state papers and holding some in-person meetings.
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