Photo agencies pull Mother’s day picture of Kate over ‘manipulation’ fears

Questions have been raised that the first picture of the Princess of Wales to be released after her abdominal surgery may have been manipulated before it was posted on social media by Kensington Palace.

The photo of Kate, said by the palace to have been taken by the Prince of Wales in Windsor earlier this week, was posted to mark Mother’s Day and shows her sitting with her arms around Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are on either side of her, with Prince George standing behind.

The photograph was shared with media on Sunday but was withdrawn by international picture agencies later the same day because of concerns that the image had been manipulated. There was speculation that edits had been made to the left sleeve of Charlotte’s cardigan, and other areas of the picture also raised concerns about possible manipulation.

Confusion over the picture could fuel ridiculous online conspiracies about Kate which have been swirling on the internet since her surgery.

Kensington Palace has declined to comment.

The first picture of the Princess of Wales following her abdominal surgery has been released, as she thanked the public for their support.

The photo of Kate and her children, taken by the Prince of Wales in Windsor earlier this week, was posted on social media to mark Mother’s Day.

Lady Kitty Spencer has announces the birth of her first child in a heartwarming Mother’s Day post.

Keeping the gender and name of the newborn secret Kitty wrote: “It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally. Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today”.

Lady Katherine “Kitty” Eleanor Spencer, a niece of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, married fashion businessman Michael Lewis in 2021.

The aristocrat is the eldest child of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, and Victoria Lockwood. She has been a professional model since 2015, when she debuted in the December issue of Tatler.

The first official photo of the Princess of Wales since she underwent abdominal surgery nearly two months ago has been pulled from circulation by multiple global news agencies.

The agencies, including Associated Press, Reuters and AFP, issued a kill notification because the image appeared to have been manipulated.

First, the AP issued a notification warning its clients that “at closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”

“Photo kill” is an industry term that tells clients an image has been retracted, is no longer being provided by the photo agency and should be removed from clients’ systems.

Kill notifications can happen for various reasons. The story or image might not meet the editorial standards of the publication, it might not be timely or relevant anymore, or it might overlap with other content the outlet is planning to publish. It could also be due to changes in editorial direction or simply a decision by the editor that a piece of content isn’t suitable for publication.

In this case, it was over the fear that the image was manipulated.

The King has given his brother the Duke of Edinburgh the highest honour in Scotland as four new images of him are released to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Prince Edward was handed the Order of the Thistle as a personal gift from the King which did not require prime ministerial advice.

The shocking scheming of Mary Villiers – who encouraged her beautiful son George to seduce King James I – is the subject of a new breeches-ripping TV drama. But how much of it is true? Author of ‘The Favourite’, Ophelia Field, takes a closer look at the sex and power plays of a time that makes ‘The Crown’ look pale by comparison…

Kate Middleton’s uncle has accused Prince Harry of throwing the royal family “under the bus” and said claims of racism against his niece were “bull****.”

Accusing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of “reinventing history”, Gary Goldsmith said: “My family is not racist and for Kate to be portrayed as that is just so far removed from the truth, it’s ridiculous.”

It’s been an exhausting 12 months for “The Firm”, with everything from major health shocks such as King Charles’s cancer diagnosis to severe embarrassment caused by Prince Andrew’s much-publicised friendship with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Several major international picture agencies have pulled the first official photograph of the Princess of Wales post-surgery over concerns that it could have been manipulated.

Buckingham Palace remained silent last night after Getty, Associated Press, Reuters and AFP removed the image and advised clients to remove it from all their platforms.