The Relatable Reason Behind Kate Middleton’s Edited Mother’s Day Family Photo, According to an Expert
Apparently, there’s a totally relatable reason for Kate Middleton’s Photoshop fail of a Mother’s Day photo. According to a Photoshop expert, the Princess of Wales likely had one goal in mind with the snap: to “get the perfect photo.” With three young children alongside her, Kate seemingly resorted to a “common” practice.
Kate apologized for ‘editing’ U.K. Mother’s Day family photo
It’s not often a Wales family photo is at the center of controversy but on March 10, 2024, that quickly became the case. Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate and her three children to mark Mother’s Day in the U.K.
The snap taken by Prince William showed Kate smiling alongside the couple’s kids: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. It also proved significant as it marked the first official image of Kate since the 42-year-old underwent abdominal surgery in early January 2024.
Prior to the Mother’s Day photo and a paparazzi shot, she hadn’t been seen publicly since the royal family’s annual Christmas Day walk to church on Dec. 25, 2023.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” Kate said in the caption (via Instagram). “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” she added before signing off with “C” for Catherine.
Irregularities were soon spotted online, not unlike the Wales family Christmas card just a few months earlier. As the day went on, major photo agencies issued a “kill” notice for the Wales family photo due to manipulation concerns.
A day later, on March 11, 2024, the palace issued an apology from Kate. “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.
Photoshop expert says getting a snap of Kate and the kids all smiling may have been behind the editing
Photoshop expert Stephen Davies, who is often referred to as the “Photoshop Guy,” took a closer look at the picture of Kate, George, Charlotte, and Louis. He told The Sun there were no signs of anything “deceptive.” Rather, in his opinion, they wanted to get the best photo possible.
“They wanted to get a smiling face on everyone,” Davies said. “It is hard to get the perfect photo. They’ve probably taken two or three photos and blended them all together — but a couple of things have been overlooked.”
The expert added that AI may have been used to edit the image, calling Charlotte’s sleeve a “flaw” next to her “strange” skirt.
“That’s a common thing that they’ve blended photos together,” Davies said. “I don’t think they’re doing anything deceptive on it. They just wanted the perfect photo and missed a few areas.”
“It shows multiple images have been blended together,” he added, noting he does it “every day for people when one of the children isn’t looking at the camera.”
“The texture has gone from the [Prince Louis’] jumper — it almost looks like it could be AI,” the expert went on. “I use it all the time, and I have to add the texture back in, it can only do certain resolution.”
Kensington Palace isn’t releasing the original photo of Kate and the Wales children
Since the Kate Mother’s Day photo debacle started, there have been calls to see the original, unedited snap. Kensington Palace, however, isn’t up for it. The palace reportedly refuses to release the original to the public.
Speaking to PA, the palace confirmed they “would not be reissuing the original unedited photograph of Kate and her children,” (via Express).
