Why Did Princess Catherine Manipulate Her 1st Ever Family Photo After Abdominal Surgery?

Recently, Princess Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has been at the center of media attention, with the latest controversy surrounding a photo of her shared on social media that appears to have been digitally altered.

Princess Catherine's first official photo since her surgery has been released, and it's creating quite a stir. The family photo has set tongues wagging and sparked widespread conversation regarding its authenticity.

This comes a few months after the Princess was hospitalized for abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace announced the news on Instagram on January 17 in a statement that said, in part:

"Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery."

"The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery." It further stated that the Princess would be unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.

The statement also noted that Princess Catherine appreciated the interest that would result from the news but hoped the public would understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible. She also wished her personal medical information would remain private.

Thirteen days after her hospitalization, the Princess was discharged to continue recuperating at home. Her recovery sidelined her for a while, and she maintained a low profile during this time. However, at the beginning of March, she was spotted, for the first time, in the passenger seat of an SUV as her mom drove to an undisclosed location.

The appearance came as a relief to the online community as there had been plenty of speculation about her whereabouts, especially because the last time she appeared in public was weeks before her surgery, on December 25, after attending the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church.

Now, barely a fortnight after the mom-daughter duo ride near Windsor Castle, the Princess has posted an official photo on The Prince and Princess of Wales' official Instagram page, sending the comment section into a frenzy.

The photo, released on Mother's Day, showed the Princess sitting on a bamboo chair surrounded by her three children, Prince George at the back, with his arms around his mother's neck, Princess Charlotte on her left, and Prince Louis on her right. The foursome looked happy and were all smiles as they posed for the camera.

Still, the photo, meant to quell speculation and conspiracy theories and reassure the public about the Princess's health and whereabouts, has caused an uproar after five photo agencies, Getty, Reuters, Shutterstock, Agence France-Presse, and Associated Press, recalled and halted its distribution under the claims that it was manipulated.

Upon closer examination of the photo, social media critics have identified several inconsistencies. Notably, Princess Charlotte's wrist and sleeve appear to be missing, and Princess Catherine is seen without her wedding ring in one instance. Furthermore, there's a noticeable misalignment in the zipper of her jacket.

Critics have also raised questions about the shading around Prince Louis' sweater, pointing out that the patterns seem misaligned. Additionally, the presence of a fully bloomed tree in the background, despite it being early March, has sparked skepticism.

There are also observations about the peculiar shape of the wall behind them and a repetitive pattern at the edge of the tiles beside Prince Louis, further fueling the debate over the photo's authenticity.

As the hype around the photo heightened, the Princess took to X(formerly Twitter) to apologize for any confusion caused:

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."

She ended the post on a lighter note, hoping everyone who celebrated Mother's Day had a happy one, then signed the post with her initial C.

Nevertheless, Mark Borkowski, a public relations and crisis communications expert based in London, describes the controversy surrounding the "fake" photo as "pretty damning" for the royal household. He suggests that this could be a significant misstep from which they might struggle to recover.

Despite the release of the photo being well-intended to calm the public of speculations, it has resulted in the opposite effect. "In fact, it's made it worse," says Borkowski. "Now some people are asking if it is all generated by AI or is it a Photoshop of a photo taken. It’s not something you'd want the royal brand to be aligned with."

Still, this incident involving the Princess's photo is not an isolated occurrence. There have been previous instances where the royals faced accusations of altering their images.

In December 2023, the Waleses released a Christmas card featuring a black and white photo of the family. "Our family Christmas card for 2023," read the caption. However, after the release, some eagle-eyed watchers noticed something peculiar with the photo: Louis was missing a middle finger.

The photo left fans of the royal family confused, wondering why the young lad had a missing appendage. Yet, that was not all. X user OCShree pointed out that there might have been a pair of legs under Prince Louis that did not seem to belong to him.

Another instance that left netizens scratching their heads was a photo of the family posted when Charlotte was just months old. The snapshot showed the Princess holding baby Charlotte, her husband, the Prince of Wales squatting beside her, while Prince George stood on her other side.

Buzzfeed reported that Charlotte's head seemed clear while the area around her mouth was blurry. The publication believed that, as is the norm with toddlers, it would have been difficult for her to cooperate and smile in time for the photo, thus the conclusion that it had been edited to give Charlotte a smiley face.

Still, when Buzzfeed reached out to a Buckingham Palace spokesperson, they said the family had no comment and even laughed out loud at the claim.

A third incident is a photo of the late Queen posing with ten of her grandchildren taken in her Aberdeenshire home. The Queen sat sandwiched between her grandchildren on a green Chesterfield sofa, while the rest of her grandbabies stood behind her smiling at the camera.

The photo caused a lot of controversy, with many claiming it was photoshopped. Describing the photo as "beautiful," Christopher Bouzy, a supporter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex called out the critics:

"It isn't easy to get the perfect photo with 10 children. It appears they took multiple shots and then edited the photo to make it perfect. I would've done the same."

Others in the comment section agreed that getting a decent photo of that many kids was next to impossible, citing Photoshop as necessary. Still, some thought the claim was false as they saw no evidence of photoshop, and believed that if the photo had indeed been edited, they would have added all the Queen's grandkids.

While instances of alleged photo alterations have cast a shadow over the royal family's efforts to present an authentic image, the recent controversy involving the Princess's photo may not be as detrimental as it seems.

A palace insider, speaking exclusively to People, sought to minimize the impact of this PR challenge. Describing it as a "bump in the road, not an earthquake," the insider suggested that the situation, while notable, is not catastrophic.

They elaborated, stating that the Princess has offered an apology with grace, acknowledging an action that is commonplace for the vast majority, albeit under far less public scrutiny, "She has done something that 99% of us do — and we don’t have the scrutiny that they do."

The conversation then shifted to the intense public scrutiny faced by the mom-of-three, observing that being constantly in the public eye demands an impossible standard of perfection. "You’re always on display and always got to be perfect," he added:

"She might be a member of the royal family, but she’s also a human being. If you've just had an operation, you want to look your best with the first photograph that’s published for the outside world."

In addition to the insider's remarks, a wave of support for the Princess emerged on social media. Many users rallied to her defense, emphasizing the unnecessary nature of an apology. Clarissa Reilly wrote, "No need at all for apologies. Hope you had a lovely day yourself with the children. Get well soon!"

Sabirah Lohn said, "No apology [is needed.] Every picture has some type of editing, and these people are out for a witch hunt. You focus on healing, and the media can seriously go away. Please don’t provide them with any more pictures of your children. Post it just on your social media pages."

The dialogue also included criticisms of the media's stance on photo editing, with one user, Nury Vittachi, calling out the double standards and stating, "How can journalists attack Princess #KateMiddleton for using #Photoshop? Journalists use it all the time."

In the wake of the photo editing controversy, the overwhelming public and media attention has sparked a broader conversation about the expectations placed on public figures and the authenticity of digital content.

Despite initial criticisms, the outpouring of support and the protective stance many have taken toward the Princess shows a significant shift toward understanding and empathy in the digital age.