Meghan Markle’s ‘cheerleader’ Omid Scobie slams Kate and William’s team after Mother’s Day photo fail
ROYAL author Omid Scobie has slammed Prince William and Kate Middleton’s team after their Mother’s Day photo saga.
Princess Kate issued an apology after admitting she “experiments with editing”, and had tweaked the family photo of her sitting with her three children.
Before the statement was released, multiple picture agencies around the world had “killed” the photo after it was edited.
‘Sussex cheerleader’ Omid, author of controversial royal books Endgame and Finding Freedom, tweeted to his followers “wonder what it would be like if they had a good comms teams” after the photo was pulled.
In a separate tweet, he described the photo removal as “mysterious”.
The Mother’s Day photo of Kate was seemingly released in an attempt to squash rumours about Kate’s health, following her abdominal surgery.
The heartwarming snap of Kate beaming with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, was shared on Sunday.
While many were thrilled to see the Princess of Wales looking well following her abdominal surgery two months ago, a number of “editing fails” could be seen.
The image, which was put out by Kensington Palace, was claimed to have been digitally altered – with photo agencies forced to order a “kill notice” on the picture.
Five large news agencies – AP, Getty Images, Reuters, AFP and PA – all withdrew the snap over fears it had been ‘edited at the source’.
In a statement today, the Princess of Wales has since apologised for the picture’s amendments – admitting she caused “confusion” with her edits.
Kate said: “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. C.”
The original X post now has a warning on it that reads: “Major news agencies, including the Associated Press, Getty Images, and Reuters, note inconsistencies that suggest digital alteration by Kensington Palace.”
Fans questioned why Kate wasn’t wearing her wedding ring and noticed that her other hand was blurry.
Others said Charlotte’s cardigan sleeve seemed to disappear and her skirt was fuzzy.
Fans also claimed there appeared to be an odd cut in the skirting board.
In a colour corrected and lightened version of the image, Kate’s zip appears not to line up.
Meanwhile, others reckoned the colour of the tree’s leaves are wrong for this time of year.
The Palace had said the photo was snapped by Prince William last week, and was the first time Kate had posted online in months.
Why were 'kill notices' issued over Kate's Mother's Day photo?
News agencies ordered a “kill notice” on the picture late Sunday night.
The removal orders were sent after “manipulation” on the image was discovered.
AP’s order said the reason for killing the story was: “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
The order then directs those who have used the photo to remove it from all platforms, including social.
Agence France-Press ordered the “mandatory kill” due to an “editorial issue” and directed that the image may no longer be used.
Reuters said the photo “has been withdrawn following a post publication review.”
Getty Images said: “For editorial reasons, please remove the following image(s) from your system and do not use in any manner.”
Getty said its picture desk “identified a problematic image” provided by the palace and removed it from its site “in accordance with our editorial policy.”
Each of the news agencies have their own editorial guidelines which govern how they treat images.
AP says that pictures “must always tell the truth” and that it does not alter or manipulate the content of a photograph in any way.
PA said: “Like other news agencies, PA Media issued the handout image provided by Kensington Palace of the Princess of Wales and her children in good faith yesterday.
“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.
“In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.”
Its guidelines say: “The content of a photograph must not be altered in PhotoShop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph.”
However, AP says minor adjustments are allowed, they include cropping, colour adjustments, and light adjustments.
Omid, who reportedly first met the Duchess of Sussex at Toronto Fashion Week in 2015, has been dubbed “Meghan’s Cheerleader”.
He has stated, however, that he is not a friend of Meghan’s but does have “mutual friends with” the former Suits actress.
His latest book, Endgame: Inside The Royal Family And The Monarchy’s Fight For Survival, was released in the UK on November 28, 2023.
The bombshell book claims that Meghan named two people she accused of raising concerns over the colour of Archie’s skin in letters she wrote to King Charles.
The Mother’s Day photo issues come as rumours about Kate’s health were sparked after William missed a memorial service two weeks ago.
He had been expected to perform a reading, but pulled out due to a “personal matter”.
Kate had only been spotted once since her surgery, in the passenger seat of a black Audi as mum Carole, 69, drove her near Windsor Castle.
She was wearing sunglasses and appeared to be smiling slightly.
It followed her “planned major abdominal surgery” in January at the London clinic.
The central London private hospital also treated The King while he underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Kensington Palace said previously Kate was unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.
This follows confusion over whether the royal would be making an appearance while reviewing a dress rehearsal at Horse Guards Parade for the Trooping of the Colour on June 8.