Social Media Storm Over Kate Middleton's Latest Pic Released By UK Royals

The first official photo of Britain’s Princess, Kate Middleton, released since her abdominal surgery has sparked controversy, with several news agencies dropping the image, claiming it was manipulated.

The Kensington Palace shared the photo on Sunday to commemorate Mother’s Day in Britain.

In the image, the smiling Princess of Wales is dressed in jeans, a sweater, and a dark jacket while sitting on a garden chair with her three children—George, Charlotte, and Louis. Notably, she is not wearing her engagement ring in the photo, leading to discussions on social media.

Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C

📸 The Prince of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/6DywGBpLLQ

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 10, 2024

The Palace stated that the photo was taken by her husband, Prince William, the heir to the British throne, at Windsor, where Kate has been recovering since her discharge. A message accompanying the photo expressed gratitude for the kind wishes and continued support over the last two months, wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. The message was signed “C” for Catherine.

News Agencies Withdraw Photo

The three international news agencies – AP, AFP and Reuters – withdrew the photo this morning citing manipulation concerns. But the UK’s biggest news agency PA, through which the Royal family releases their official notifications, hasn’t taken any such step yet.

The authenticity of the photo released by Kensington Palace has come under scrutiny, as users pointed out discrepancies such as Princess Charlotte’s left hand being misaligned with the sleeve of her cardigan.

According to another international media agency, BBC, Kensington Palace has refrained from commenting on the withdrawal of the photo by news agencies.

Some users on social media accused the Royal family of sharing an AI-generated image of Princess Kate, emphasizing that this was the first time she appeared without her engagement ring.

“If the #princessofwales photo is from this last week as the palace claims…why wouldn’t Comms. make sure she had her engagement ring on her hand? Like, YOU KNOW people will hone in on that. Yes, PW allegedly took the photo but COME on,” said a user.

An early example from the Royal Rota Domestic Captain of how this #CatherinePrincessOfWales photo debacle might be covered up:

We actually do have reason to doubt the authenticity as KP has not given us many reasons to trust them. pic.twitter.com/yqoqsFlZNf

— Meredith (@TheMereDish) March 11, 2024

“Something is rotten in the state of…” William Shakespeare.

The toxic RF are rereleasing the AI generated Mother’s Day photo with the distorted hands, the missing bit of sleeve and the missing engagement and wedding ring edited out—too late. #PrincessofWales fake photo. pic.twitter.com/IXz10Ux4sg

— Ryn Shell (@RynShell) March 10, 2024

Kate’s recent absence from public view has led to speculation and conspiracy theories. The Palace clarified that her surgery, which occurred on January 16 and resulted in her discharge on January 29, was unrelated to cancer.

The statement mentioned that she was unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter. Meanwhile, King Charles, her father-in-law, was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year.

The photo released by the palace is the first official family photograph since Kate’s surgery, and it follows her limited public appearances.

Earlier photos of her, including those taken last Monday, were not published by some UK outlets, including the Daily Mail and The Sun. The last public sighting of Kate was in December when she attended church services with her family in Sandringham.