Kate Middleton's Reported Reaction to Mother's Day Photoshop Controversy Might Surprise You
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Royal fans are getting new insight into how Kate Middleton reacted after her Mother’s Day Photoshop controversy in March and her thoughts on the situation just might surprise you. Robert Hardman’s book, Charles III: The Making of a King, published fresh chapters that dive into the media scandal.
Ahead of the Princess of Wales revealing her cancer diagnosis, the public was only informed that she had “planned abdominal surgery” and would be out of the spotlight until Easter. Her absence as the superstar of the royal family sent fans and the press into a tailspin. Kate believed a snapshot with her three children would quiet the crowds, instead it made the situation worse. (You can see the photo here.)
Hardman noted, in an excerpt provided to the Daily Mail, that there were “small inconsistencies with the photograph” and that “the Waleses and their staff were astonished by what happened next.” The global photo agencies around the world issued a “kill notice” to retract the photo because it didn’t meet journalistic standards.
A palace insider called the reaction “extremely disproportionate” because Kate was a “mother deciding to share a personal picture of her and her children on Mother’s Day to bring some joy to the nation. That’s all.” But Hardman believes there was “no great soul-searching” after the scandal. “The Prince and Princess have agency in everything,” the royal source told the author. “They are the final decision-makers.”
Kate offered up an apology, downplaying the PR mess, but some fans criticized Prince William for not stepping up to protect his wife. After all, he reportedly took the photo. Royal expert Amanda Matta shared on her TikTok account in March that having the Princess of Wales apologize offered “the royal family a layer of protection.”
She added, “People will be much more hesitant to criticize Kate than they would an inept PR team. The public does not trust [the royal family]. People aren’t buying the story that Kate edited this because they have no incentive to.”
Still, it sounds like behind the scenes it was much ado about nothing for William and Kate. It’s the public who took issue with the editing mistakes.
Before you go, click here to see our favorite Kate Middleton mommy moments!