Kate’s editing fails are massive embarrassment but it’s not her fault – what WAS the Palace thinking, says royal expert
PRINCESS Kate’s ‘editing fails’ are a massive embarrassment for Kensington Palace, a royal expert has slammed.
Rob Jobson, author of Our King: Charles III – The Man and the Monarch Revealed, told The Sun it wasn’t Kate’s fault.
Why were 'kill notices' issued?
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Reuters said the photo “has been withdrawn following a post publication review.”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.”
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.”
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.
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.
Kensington Palace posted a heartwarming snap of Kate and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on Sunday – which fans were quick to claim had a number of “editing fails”.
The image was claimed to have been digitally altered – with photo agencies forced to order a “kill notice” on the pic – before Kate released a statement owning up to “experimenting with editing”.
Sky News said metadata showed it was saved in Adobe Photoshop and edited twice.
Five large news agencies – AP, Getty Images, Reuters, AFP and PA – all withdrew the snap over fears it had been “edited at the source”.
Kate today apologised over her attempt to amend the photo, and the “confusion” it’s caused.
She said in a statement: “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.”
Photo ‘editing’ backlash comes as:
- Princess Kate apologises for “confusion” caused by inconsistencies in family image
- Princess Kate is pictured with Prince William leaving Windsor Castle this afternoon in a black Land Rover
- Piers Morgan calls for the Palace to share the unedited photo to quell internet sleuths
- Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith gives his verdict on Mother’s Day picture as he speaks out after CBB eviction
- Photo agencies release ‘kill notice’ on Princess Kate’s Mother’s Day picture
- Twitter’s warning over Princess Kate photo inconsistencies
- King Charles releases video message saying he’ll ‘continue to serve you, to the best of my ability’ amid cancer battle
Mr Jobson said “we can’t really blame Kate” but added Kensington Palace should have known it “hasn’t passed muster”.
He added: “Now it hasn’t passed that muster, if you like, and that’s because it was pretty much an amateur job on doing so.
“So really, there needed to be some advisers around doing that job, making sure that in this modern world of modern communications that you cannot tamper with photographs that are being issued as official photographs.
“It damages the integrity of the organisation that is issuing a photograph.”
He added Kate had “done them a favour” by accepting responsibility for the bungle.
“She’s probably been let down, in my opinion,” he said.
Mr Jobson also alluded to online conspiracy theories, suggesting the photograph “added fuel to the fire”.
The last time an official royal photograph was edited was in 1999 at Prince Edward and Sophie’s wedding, when an image of Prince William was doctored to make him seem smiling. Mr Jobson added.
Mr Jobson said most Brits will be “sympathetic” to Kate as she recovers from a major operation.
“She’s done her best to try and get a photograph out of her and her kids, looking really quite happy and healthy,” he said.
The palace said it would not be reissuing the original unedited photograph of Kate and her children.
It comes despite calls for them to post the un-doctored snap to help quash conspiracy theories about the status of Kate’s health.
The Palace had said the photo was snapped by Prince William last week, and was the first time Kate had posted online in months.
Wills is this afternoon attending celebrations for Commonwealth Day.
Queen Camilla is also in attendance while King Charles delivered a pre-recorded speech as he vowed “to continue to serve [the Commonwealth], to the best of my ability”.
The monarch said: “Having recently celebrated my own 75th birthday, it warms my heart to reflect on the way the Commonwealth has been a constant throughout my own life — a precious source of strength, inspiration and pride.
“In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth.
“My belief in our shared endeavours and in the potential of our people remains as sure and strong as it has ever been.
“I have no doubt that we will continue to support one another across the Commonwealth as, together, we continue this vital journey.”
She’s done her best to try and get a photograph out of her and her kids, looking really quite happy and healthy
Rob Jobson
Commonwealth Day recognises the unity and diversity of the nations and has been marked on the second Monday of March since the 1970s.
The Commonwealth, which has 56 members, continues to grow with African nations Togo and Gabon joining last year.
The original X post of Kate’s snap 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.”
The warning from Twitter appeared in response to a flood of comments from users pointing out the editing fails.
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.
William is today heading to the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey – but Kate will not be attending.
The heir to the throne was photographed in the car, looking at his phone, ahead of his 2,000-guest ceremony appearance.
Kate gazed out of her backseat window and appeared to have her hair scraped back in a bun.
The Princess of Wales is on her way to a private appointment in London.
Kate was first pictured since her abdominal surgery on March 4, when she was in the passenger seat of a car with her mum Carole.
In an image, which The Sun decided not to publish, the mum-of-three was wearing dark sunglasses and appeared to be smiling slightly.
Royal Photoshop fails over the years
KATE'S Mother's Day picture isn't the first time the royals have found themselves caught up in editing fails.
Christmas 2023
Prince Louis appeared to be missing a finger in the Wales’ latest Christmas card.
Fans also spotted another odd detail in the photo, saying that Prince William‘s leg appeared to be missing.
The late Queen’s hand retouch
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip appeared to have been Photo-shopped.
There is something odd about the monarch’s clasped hands in the picture, which was put out a couple of years before she died in September 2022.
Eagle-eyed royal fans spotted an odd dark outline around the edge of the Queen’s right hand, which they claimed suggested it had been cut in from an alternative image.
‘Zombie’ Kate
An image of the Princess of Wales was used on the front of Australian publication Woman’s Day.
It looks like someone touched up the photo of Kate’s face ahead of the birth of Prince Louis in 2018.
Cosmpolitan magazine subsequently penned a scathing review, referring to the airbrushing as “creepy zombie photoshopping”.
Wills’ bald spot
Vanity Fair was accused of thickening Prince William’s hair during a shoot after the birth of George.
In response the publication insisted it had simply added more colours to make the photo look more “vibrant”.
George edits
US weekly changed George’s appearance while he was still a baby.
The second-in-line to the throne gained greener eyes, pinker lips, more colourful hair and chubbier cheeks when he appeared on the cover of the publication in 2014.
Smaller waist
The Press Complaints Commission was called in when Grazia magazine edited a snap of Princess Kate on her wedding day in 2011 to make her waist look slimmer.
The publication admitted altering the photo, but claimed it was an inadvertent error when they cut her husband William out of the image.