Kate Middleton’s ‘Only Way’ to Regaining Public Trust After Photo Blunder Is Highly Unlikely, Expert Says
Kate Middleton has a difficult road ahead after releasing—and subsequently apologizing for—an edited family photo. According to an expert, the Princess of Wales, 42, has one option for regaining the public’s trust. The clincher? It’s probably not going to happen. Ahead, details on Kate’s Photoshop fail seen around the world and how she can repair the damage.
Kate apologized for ‘editing’ a Mother’s Day photo featuring her and the Wales children
In the first official photo of Kate in 2024—and her first non-paparazzi sighting since the 2023 holiday season—Kensington Palace released a photo on March 10, 2024. It marked Mother’s Day in the U.K. and featured Kate and her children.
Taken by Prince William, the photo, posted to Instagram and X, showed a smiling Kate with the couple’s kids: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
The seemingly harmless image—after all, the royal family’s known to share the occasional Wales family photo—soon became the center of a controversy. Irregularities were spotted online. Then came “kill” notices from photo agencies such as Getty Images and Reuters due to manipulation concerns.
Finally, on March 11, 2024, the palace issued a brief statement from Kate, who owned up to editing the photo.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said. “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,” she added, once again signing off with “C” for Catherine.
Kate’s only ‘way back’ after photo incident is making a public appearance before Easter
Nick Ede, a brand and culture expert, believes the photo editing controversy has Kate and Kensington Palace in a particularly “tough” situation.
“They were trying to quash rumors,” Ede told Newsweek, referencing the growing speculation surrounding Kate’s abdominal surgery.
First, there were conspiracy theories online that reached a fever pitch. Then, the first 2024 sighting of Kate came in the form of a paparazzi photo showing her in the car with her mother, Carole Middleton. And now the first official photo of Kate gets called out for editing.
“Now they’ve completely fueled them in an even bigger way that has gone around the world because all the picture agencies were saying they wouldn’t use it because it was basically a fake.”
“It’s really tough for them, there’s no way back,” he continued. “The only way forward is to kind of explain themselves, which they’ve tried to do. But people aren’t buying it because the palace now aren’t going to reveal the actual original image. It’s all about trust.”
“There’s no way back unless she [Kate] makes a personal appearance before Easter, which I don’t think she’s going to do,” Ede concluded.
In their initial announcement of Kate’s surgery, Kensington Palace said she’s “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” or March 31, 2024.
Kensington Palace hasn’t announced when the Princess of Wales is returning to royal duties
For now, Kate’s continuing her recovery at home in Windsor, England, with no official date set for her return to royal duties. At the time of writing, Kensington Palace hasn’t announced when Kate will be back to work.
Previously, it was reported Trooping the Colour, the British royal family’s annual birthday celebration for the sovereign, would be Kate’s first public appearance since undergoing surgery, thanks to the British Army’s website.
Amid reports, however, they removed Kate’s name, meaning her recovery continues, and her return date remains unknown.
