Several of the top international photo agencies have put out a “kill notice” on a picture released on Sunday morning by Kensington Palace of Catherine, Princess of Wales and her three young children over the image deemed to have been “manipulated”.
Following weeks of speculation and rumours surrounding the health and well-being of Princess Kate after she withdrew from public view after having abdominal surgery in January, Kensington Palace — the official residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales — apparently attempted to reassure the public by releasing a Mothering Sunday picture of Kate — the future Queen — alongside her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
However, later on Sunday, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Getty Images, and Reuters all announced that they have recalled the image, or put out a “kill notice” on the picture over concerns that it was seemingly digitally manipulated.
Eagle-eyed observers on social media had noticed that the photograph featured anomalies around Princess Charlotte’s hand, while others pointed out that Princess Kate was missing her wedding ring in the image.
Announcing their decision to pull the picture, the AP said in a “kill notice” statement: “At closer inspection it appears the source has manipulated the image. No replacement photo will be sent. Please remove it from all platforms, including social, where it may still be visible.”
Elaborating, an AP spokesman told London’s Daily Telegraph: “The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
The picture, which is reported to have been originally taken by Prince William earlier this week, was the first authorised image released of the Princess of Wales since Christmas and the first official message about Kate since January 17th, when the Palace announced that she would be stepping back from her public duties until at least Easter because of her surgery.
While the decision to pull the picture does not indicate that the Princess is not in good health or looks as she appears in the photograph, the move has reignited the conversation surrounding her lengthy time out of public view.
“If, as this astounding AP kill notice claims, the Palace manipulated that Kate photo to quash all the wild conspiracy theories about her, then they’ll have just made things 100x worse,” wrote British journalist Piers Morgan.
At the time of this reporting, Kensington Palace has so far declined to comment on the alleged manipulation of the picture.