Kate, Princess of Wales, apologizes for altering family photo that fueled rumors about her health

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Kate, Princess of Wales, apologized on March 11 for “confusion” caused by her altering of a family photo released by the palace—an image of Kate and her children that was intended to calm concern and speculation about the British royal’s health but had the opposite effect. Several news agencies that initially published the photo, including The Associated Press, withdrew the image over concerns about digital manipulation. Issued by the couple’s Kensington Palace office on March 10 to mark Mother’s Day in Britain, it was the first official photo of 42-year-old Kate since she had abdominal surgery nearly three months ago. The retractions sent the online rumor mill, already rampant with speculation over Kate’s operation and recuperation, into overdrive. The PR disaster is more evidence that the royal family’s long-held mantra—“never complain, never explain”—is impossible in a social media-saturated era. In a post on social media, Kate said that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the mishandled photo release “is damaging for the royals.” “Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update,” he wrote on X. The royal family is under particular scrutiny because King Charles III has also had to cancel public duties while he undergoes treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. The monarch has canceled all his public engagements, though he has been photographed walking to church and meeting privately with government officials and dignitaries. Charles’ relative openness about his diagnosis was a departure from the generally secretive royal family. But it has been eclipsed in popular interest by curiosity over Kate’s condition. In the absence of firm information, conspiracy theories have rushed to fill the vacuum. At the time, royal aides told The Sun newspaper: “We’ve seen the madness of social media [...], but the princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that.” “The question is, with all the conspiracy theories running around, is whether people believe it. And I’m not sure that they will,” said veteran public relations consultant Mark Borkowski. This article was provided by The Associated Press.