Kate’s Photo-Editing Debacle: Untangling the Royal Mess
Answering your questions about a PR situation that went from bad to worse.
If you would have told me that the discourse around Catherine, the Princess of Wales, would go from bad to much worse, I’m not sure I would have believed you. It was already abysmal, with absurd conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts making their way from corners of the internet to the mainstream media.
But then Kensington Palace made it immeasurably worse, releasing a photograph of the princess and her three children. Said to be taken by Prince William, the image we now know was altered in as many as 16 ways. A day later, the palace issued a statement attributed to Kate herself, with the admission that she has edited photos before (but not saying she fiddled with this specific one). She apologized, too, not for editing this (or any) photo but for the “confusion” the picture caused.
How did we get here? To me, this is a massive PR failure from a team ill-equipped to navigate the intense scrutiny of the conspiracy-driven digital age. Saying very little about a surgery and lengthy hospital stay that required a months-long recovery? They had to have known that would raise questions. Releasing a family photo filled with detectable signs of editing? A mind-boggling misstep that only fanned the flames further. Even to seasoned royal watchers, this feels very out of step with the Kate Middleton the world has watched for more than a decade.
“Kate is so punctilious about her own image…she is a perfectionist, so the mess of this picture is a curious thing,” said Tina Brown, a well-known writer and best-selling royal author, on CBS This Morning. The release of the edited picture, the absence of her engagement ring, and the lack of the princess’s visibility, Brown continued, “All of it just smacks of chaos.”
Let’s untangle this as best we can, shall we? Below, retracing what happened and answering your questions: Why hasn’t Kensington Palace released the unedited version of the photo? How are the trees so green and why is the clothing the same as the outing last year? What other royal pictures have been altered? Who is to blame, the people or the PR teams?
Buckle up, friends, because into the weeds we go. This is, as Brown said, a MESS.
ICYMI: Two earlier newsletters recapping the surgery and the speculation.
Kate’s Photo-Editing Debacle: Untangling the Royal Mess
When did the photo drama begin?
On Sunday, Kensington Palace released a picture of the Princess of Wales with her children, George, Charlotte, and Louis. Timed to Mother’s Day in the UK, the photo was the first image of Catherine published by the palace since her abdominal surgery in January. It came after nearly two weeks of frenzied speculation about Kate’s health and well being, which traveled from the internet to the mainstream media.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the caption read. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.” The post closed with a photo credit, a camera emoji followed by “The Prince of Wales, 2024.” According to several royal reporters, the palace said the image had been taken last week in Windsor, where the family lives.
The photograph was widely distributed and received loads of attention. My first thought was rather straightforward: It was nice to see her and the children, and with such big smiles! Many — myself included — saw this as a signature Kensington Palace move. We have come to expect that the palace will release an unseen, heart-warming photograph with a personal (albeit brief) message of thanks. This felt like an attempt to quell the rumors and allow the princess to carry out the remainder of her recovery in private. As stated earlier this year, Kate is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter.
Quite quickly, however, questions over the image arose, beginning with the absence of her engagement ring and wedding band.