Prince William and Kate Middleton Releasing Family Photos May Be Over After Editing Controversy, Expert Says: ‘Not Worth the Trouble’
Gone may be the days of family photos from Prince William and Kate Middleton. A royal expert says in the wake of the edited Mother’s Day photo controversy the Prince and Princess and Princess of Wales may decide it’s “not worth the trouble” and stop the practice altogether.
The Mother’s Day photo editing debacle has ‘upset’ William and Kate
First, a recap for those who haven’t closely followed the saga of the Mother’s Day photo. Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate and her kids to mark the U.K. holiday on March 10, 2024.
A day later, after photo agencies pulled the photo due to manipulation concerns, the palace released a statement from Kate. In it, she apologized for the “confusion. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said.
“The recent controversy has caused Kate and William considerable stress and upset,” Ingrid Seward, a royal biographer and the editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told The Mirror. “[Kate] shouldn’t have had to apologize for providing us all with a beautiful photograph, albeit taken by her husband.”
The photo, taken by Prince William, showed Kate smiling alongside Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. It marked the first official photo of Kate in 2024 amid her ongoing recovery from abdominal surgery in January.
William and Kate may stop sharing family photos as a ‘precaution’
Charlotte, Louis, George, and William all have birthdays on the horizon. (Kate turned 42 on Jan. 9, 2024.) First, Louis (April 5) and Charlotte (May 2). Then William (June 21) and George (July 22). 2024 may be different in that the parents of three may not mark the occasion with a new picture.
“It’s become something of a tradition for Kate to offer informal family snaps that have been taken by her to mark the likes of her children’s birthdays,” the outlet wrote.
Seward believes birthday photos of the Wales kids may be a thing of the past. “Perhaps William and Kate will decide it is just not worth the trouble of taking their own pictures and releasing them to the media?” she said. “It might be a wise precaution.”
“With social media jumping all over the story of Kate’s long recuperation, the photograph released took on massive significance.”
“It should certainly have been checked before its release on Mother’s Day to protect Kate. Of course, photographs are airbrushed. But this picture has massive significance. It was to prove to the world that Kate was recovering well.”
“She was happy to be pictured in the Adelaide Cottage garden with her children,” she went on. “But once it was revealed the snap had been altered by her Photoshop, its authenticity was called into question.”
“The whole idea was ruined. Just what Kate didn’t need when she was recovering from an operation. She has had huge sympathy, but she must wish she had never agreed to the idea. Sadly, she may not again.”
King Charles and Princess Diana used to release photos of William and Harry as kids
Releasing family photos is nothing new by royal standards. Sure, the Wales family puts a slight twist on it by sharing snaps they take themselves. But it’s been happening for decades.
“When Prince William was a toddler, Charles and Diana allowed a few photographers and a TV camera into their walled garden at Kensington Palace,” Seward said. “The pressmen duly photographed little Wills.”
Then, the images were “distributed to newspapers, agencies, and TV channels” which “worked well.”
“Then Diana began using her favorite photographer, Tim Graham, to take her ‘private’ photographs. His pictures were distributed to everyone who wanted them. No problem.”
“They only ever released one of their own photographs, which was a snapshot of baby Prince Harry onboard HMY Britannia.”
