Kate Middleton photo controversy: New details show when the photo was edited
As the Kate Middleton photo scandal rages on, further information has surfaced regarding the date of alterations made to a family portrait that was later taken down by international news organizations due to allegations that it was “manipulated.”
The original, modified file of the picture that Kate, the Princess of Wales, posted on social media on Sunday reveals that Adobe Photoshop was used twice to treat the image.
The image was processed in Photoshop twice, on March 8 and 9, between 9:54 p.m. and 9:39 a.m., local time, according to the file’s metadata that ABC News was able to access.
On Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, Kate posted the picture and thanked everyone for their “kind wishes and continued support” while she heals from stomach surgery. Kate hadn’t been spotted in an official position since Christmas Day before the picture.
Kate signed the post on X with the letter “C,” which stands for Catherine, her entire name, confirming that she approved the statement herself.
Prince William, the spouse of Kate, was given photo credit for the image, which featured a happy Kate with her three kids.
A few hours after the picture was released by Kensington Palace and circulated on social media, it was taken down by numerous international news organizations. “After closer examination, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards,” the Associated Press, one of the agencies, informed ABC News in a statement on Sunday that it has withdrawn the photo. Princess Charlotte’s left hand is not aligned consistently throughout the picture.”
According to ABC News’ analysis of the original file of the photo that Kensington Palace distributed, it was taken with a 50mm Canon lens on a Canon 5D Mark IV camera. The photograph and the one shared on social media are identical in terms of appearance.
It’s unclear if the Photoshop processing of the image was done on a single machine or by several.
Kate apologized on Monday, saying on X, “I do occasionally experiment with editing, as do many amateur photographers.” I wanted to apologize for any misunderstanding that may have arisen from our sharing of the family photo yesterday. I sincerely hope that Mother’s Day was enjoyed by everybody who participated.”
A representative of Agence France-Presse, one of the news organizations that pulled the image, stated to BBC News Radio on Thursday that the organization no longer views Kensington Palace as a reliable source.
“No, no way,” AFP’s worldwide news director Phil Chetwynd responded. “Like with anything, when you’re let down by a source, the bar is raised.”
It is extremely uncommon, according to Chetwynd, to issue a “kill notice” for a photo that has been altered.
Experts in both royal relations and visual verification appear to concur that Kate’s Mother’s Day photo appears to have undergone some retouching, most likely just a mother’s attempt to enhance her own and her children’s appearance.
Professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley Hany Farid said to ABC News earlier this week that his research of the image reveals “minor manipulation” and no proof that it was created by artificial intelligence.
“I think most likely it is either some bad photoshop to, for example, remove a stain on the sweater, or is the result of on-camera photo compositing that combines multiple photos together to get a photo where everyone is smiling,” Farid stated.
But there are still unanswered concerns regarding how and why William and Kate, as well as the palace, got involved in this dispute and why they won’t say anything.
Following Kate’s apologies on Monday, neither William nor the palace have commented further on the matter.