On Sunday night, the AP issued a statement: they would be “killing” a photo—an industry term for retracting an image—of the Princess of Wales and her three children from their wires. It caught, well, nearly everyone by surprise: the family photograph, released in honor of Mother’s Day in the UK, was fairly innocuous. It featured Kate Middleton sitting outside in a chair, while a sweater-clad George, Charlotte, and Louis embraced her. Yet all was not what it appeared. “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the AP said in its advisory. “No replacement photo will be sent.”
Indeed, the photo had been altered. Princess Charlotte’s left hand did not match up with the sleeve of her sweater. Middleton’s zipper was misaligned, and some body parts—including a knee and a hand—were awkwardly blurred. By Monday morning, Kate Middleton herself had issued an apology on social media: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote on X. “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.”
Under normal circumstances, this would have been an awkward—albeit careless—mistake. But the royal family’s current situation is far from normal. Over the past few months, wild conspiracy theories have been circulating the internet about the whereabouts of Kate Middleton—who hasn’t been seen in public since Christmas Day. In January, Kensington Palace released a statement that the Princess had undergone a planned abdominal surgery, explaining that she would remain in the hospital for 14 days and not return to public duties until after Easter.
The statement was a fairly vague one, especially when compared to the missive issued by King Charles’s press office about his cancer diagnosis. It was likely done that way to respect the Princess’s privacy: “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the statement read. “She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normalcy for her children as possible.” Kensington Palace also wrote that they would “only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’s progress when there is significant new information to share.” Despite their request, speculation immediately began about the health of the Princess.