Instagram adds “altered” warning to Kate Middleton photograph
Instagram adds "altered" warning to Kate Middleton photograph
What is going on with Kate Middleton?
A 'Mother's Day' photo shared by Kensington Palace has backfired after several major news wire services claimed it to be digitally "manipulated." Since then, Instagram has added a disclaimer to the picture. Here's what we know.
By Ella Sangster
CONFUSION AND SPECULATION over Kate Middleton's whereabouts has only intensified in recent weeks with Kensington Palace continuing to keep quiet about the princess's health.
Despite explaining from the beginning they'd only share significant updates" following news of Kate's planned abdominal surgery" on January 17-her absence, coupled with a string of jarring social media post and paparazzi shots have only led to more questions and concerns. Prince William's abrupt withdrawal from his godfather's, King Constantine of Greece, memorial on February 27 also triggered a number of conspiracy theories about his reasoning to leave (more on that here).
Most recently, the palace shared a Mother's Day post to the Wales' official Instagram account which less than 24 hours later was found to be digitally "manipulated" by the source, according to several major news wire services.
From calls of a PR crisis, to The Cut labelling it "a sign of the monarchy's deepening instability:" ahead, we break down what's actually going on inside Kensington Palace including Instagram's new disclaimer on the Photoshop "fail."
What is the Kate Middleton photo?
On March 10, the Prince and Princess of Wales released a new photograph in honour of Mother's Day in the UK. The image saw Kate, photographed for the first time since her surgery, sat on a chair surrounded by her three children. The caption read: "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C"-noting that the snap was actually taken by Prince William, in 2024.
While some people on social media saw it as an innocuous Mother's Day post, others took it as an intentional move from the palace to put a stop to the rumours. One person commented on the Instagram Post : "Shout-out to whoever is doing PR … Because nothing says 'let's put the conspiracy theories to rest' quite like a very badly photoshopped/ai generated photo 
," while another called out the editing, writing: "Ok I wasn't a conspiracy theorist but Louis hand is totally messed up 
."
Why was the photo of Kate Middleton 'killed'?
Less than 24 hours after it was uploaded to Kate and William's official Instagram account, leading photo agencies including the Associated Press (AP) Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Getty Images issued a "kill notice" an advisory to remove or not use a photo. During a statement, AP said: At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.
The news wire continued: "AP's editorial standards state that images must be accurate. AP does not use altered or digitally manipulated images."
Since then, AFP has shared that Kensington Palace has lost credibility revealing they're "absolutely not" a "trusted source."
During an interview on BBC Radio 4's Media Showon March 13, AFP's global news director, Phil Chetwynd, was asked whether the palace is now a "trust source" to which he responded: No, absolutely not. Like with anything, when you're let down by a source, the bar is raised.
Instagram has now also added a disclaimer to the image, with a message underneath reading: "Altered photo/video. The same altered photo was reviewed by independent fact-checkers in another post."
If the user clicks on an arrow next to the text, another message appears reading: "The same altered photo was reviewed in another post by fact-checkers. There may be small differences. Independent fact-checkers say the photo or image has been edited in a way that could mislead people, but not because it was shown out of context."
Instagram also lists the fact-checker as EFE Verifica.
Was the photograph of Kate Middleton photoshopped?
Photo agencies and social media users weren't the only ones who claimed the royal photograph to be photoshopped.
The New York Times noted several "visual inconsistencies," including Princess Charlotte's hand and sleeve, which appear doctored; a misaligned zipper on Kate's jumper; and repetition in the patterning of some of tiles in the photo's background. Kate's blurred hand and missing wedding ring were also noticeable.
"Where's her wedding ring? William hasn't been wearing his either 
," one person wrote in the comments section.
Then on March 11, the princess herself confirmed suspicions that the image had been altered.
A statement posted to the couple's X (formerly Twitter) account read: "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." It was signed with a "C" for Catherine.
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 Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024
The palace, however, did not clarify what part of the image was edited.
Royal watchers were quick to comment online, with many noting the "bizarre" nature of the situation.
"It's sad that they have made you take the fall for this. This is just bizarre," some commented on the tweet. "I am struggling to believe that the most famous royal family in the world-and the woman who would be queen-fiddled around with photoshop and put out a family pic (designed to quash rumours about her whereabouts) without anyone in the ranks inspecting it. Nah. Not buying it," another shared.
Since Kate's statement, she and husband Prince William have been spotted leaving Windsor Castle in pictures obtained by the Daily Mail. The snaps see the Prince and Princess of Wales sitting next to each other in the backseat of a car, with Kate looking out the window. According to multiple reports, William was en route to Commonwealth Day services at London's Westminster Abbey, while Kate was heading to an appointment.
Is Kate Middleton okay?
Despite the confusion surround the Photoshopped picture, the most recent update by Kensington Palace on Kate Middleton's health has been positive.
The Princess is in good spirits," the palace told Bazaar.com on January 28 having shared just a week earlier that Kate will likely resume royal engagements following the Easter period.
Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter, Kensington Palace explained during an Instagram Post, which revealed Kate's surgery.
Watch here for updates.
The post Instagram adds "altered" warning to Kate Middleton photograph appeared first on Harper's Bazaar Australia.
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