Kate Middleton and her three children (L-R): Princes Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.Photo:The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
Despite controversy,Kate Middletonhad a lovely Mother’s Day with her family.
The Prince and Princess of Wales wanted “to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day," a source tells PEOPLE.
Regardless, the source says, “The family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.”
Kate Middleton with her three children, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
The Princess of Wales has described herself as an “enthusiastic amateur photographer” and often gets behind the camera for the birthdays of her children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Prince William, 41, was credited with taking the picture thatthe couple releasedon Sunday for Mother’s Day in the U.K. The photo, which the palace noted was taken last week, showed Princess Kate seated and smiling at the family’s home in Windsor with Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte around her.
However, within hours of the image being released to social media, some speculated that the picture looked edited or even AI-generated. Eagle-eyed viewers spotted inconsistencies with the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand, Prince Louis’ sweater pattern and blurring around Princess Kate’s hair.
Global photo agencies, including the Associated Press, Getty Images, Reuters, the AFP and most recently, PA, pulled the picture from their press libraries around concerns about manipulation.
The Associated Press issued a “kill notification” for anyone using the photo, writing inan alert to journalists that after“closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image. No replacement photo will be sent.”
In a clue to specifics, a spokesperson for the agency toldThe Telegraph, “The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
A statement shared to the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram Story on March 11.The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
The saga took another turn when Princess Kate issued a surprise statement to apologize for the controversy.
“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,” the Princess of Wales wrote on X and Instagram Story on Monday around 10:30 a.m. local time.
The statement was signed with a “C” for Catherine, her full name. The Prince and Princess of Wales use the initials of their first names as shorthand on social media to signal when correspondence personally comes from them.
Kate Middleton and Prince William visit the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team in Wales in April 2023.Matthew Horwood - WPA Pool/Getty
Matthew Horwood - WPA Pool/Getty
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Princess Kate signed theinitial Mother’s Day messagethe same way on Sunday, adding a personal touch to the family photograph.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” she wrote. “C.”
Later in the day on Monday, Prince William is set to step out at Westminster Abbey for theCommonwealth Day Service of Celebration, whichQueen Camillawill also attend. WhileKing Charleswon’t be there in person as postpones public-facing duties while receivingcancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said that a pre-recorded message from the monarch will play during the service, which will bring 2,000 guests together for a celebration of the global network of 56 countries that comprise the Commonwealth.
source: people.com
