credit, Prince of Wales
The photo was taken by Prince William, who was recovering from abdominal surgery, and not an official photographer
- author, Daniela rack
- scroll, Royal correspondent
Instead, every detail of the photo published by Catherine (Kate Middleton) and Prince William on Sunday, on the occasion of Mother's Day in England, is being analysed.
Are parts of the wrist and sleeves of Princess Charlotte's coat missing? Is Prince Louis's hand right? Should that tree in the background have leaves like those in the middle of March?
The photo, which was published to put an end to questions about why Catherine did not appear before the eyes of the public, was unable to do so.
The Princess of Wales apologized on Monday (11/3) “for any confusion” the Mother's Day photo may have caused.
In a statement posted on Kensington Palace's social media, Kate Middleton said: “Like many amateur photographers, I sometimes experiment with editing.”
The language used by news agencies, which removed the image from their distribution channels, added to the drama.
Reuters issued a “deletion notice” asking its clients not to publish the image. The Associated Press (AP) sent a “photo takedown” email accusing the source of “manipulating” the photo. Getty Images, AFP and PA Media have also removed the images from their distribution channels.
The BBC first published the photo at 12 noon on Sunday, Brasilia time.
credit, Prince of Wales
The full version of the image is now under increased scrutiny following takedown notices sent out by media outlets
To publish the new photo as quickly as possible, we took the image that Kensington Palace uses on their social media accounts.
The photo was also distributed to all the British press through PA Media. This is standard practice when we at the BBC are not filming the event or taking the photo ourselves.
But since this was the royal family and a photo that would be seen by hundreds of millions around the world, why wasn't there a professional photographer behind the camera?
Special royal events are often covered by a guest photographer, either a respected portrait photographer or a member of the national press who must then distribute the image to the entire press via what is called the “Royal Road”.
However, while the Princess of Wales recovers from surgery, the group of people around her has been limited to close friends and family.
Which means no official photographer is used.
Instead, Prince William took a photo of his wife and three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
But this is also the couple's usual modus operandi. Catherine, who enjoys photography, has taken photos of her children to celebrate their birthdays, including Princess Charlotte's birthday last May, Prince George's in July 2022, and Prince Louis on a Norfolk beach in April 2022.
Last year, for Prince George's 10th birthday in July and Prince Louis's birthday in April, we returned to the old tradition, and the photos were taken by portrait photographer Millie Pilkington.
In January, the Prince of Wales visited his wife in a London hospital while she was recovering from abdominal surgery.
But before Prince William's family photo was published, it reportedly passed through the social media team at Kensington Palace, which manages the Prince and Princess of Wales's online accounts.
There may have been some modification to the original image, leading to inconsistencies in its appearance.
The problem here is not that the photo is fake or that the Princess of Wales looks worse than she does in the photo. This seems unlikely and would be a high-risk strategy by the Kensington Palace team.
By publishing the photo, they are trying to reduce speculation and rumours, not increase them.
At this point, the most likely explanation is that some excessive editing of the image to prepare it for publication casts doubt on its authenticity.
The photo, which was designed to calm talk about the Princess of Wales's recovery, ended up fueling all the rumors once again.
Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.