The photo of Catherine was published Sunday morning. She was shown sitting on a chair, surrounded by her three smiling children. It seemed like an attempt to reassure Britons and quell wild rumors and conspiracy theories that have surrounded the princess since she stepped back from public duties following abdominal surgery.
It did not have that effect.
Global news agencies — including Reuters, Getty Images, Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press — asked their clients Sunday evening to withdraw the image, with some citing a problem with the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve and wrist. Others on social media flagged what they said were oddities, like the positioning of Prince Louis’s hands and the zipper on Catherine’s jacket.
Hours earlier, Kensington Palace released the photo of Catherine, the first official royal photograph of the princess since her surgery. Prince William and Catherine often release photos of their family on major occasions, such as Christmas or their children’s birthdays. Often it is Catherine, a keen photographer, behind the camera.
The palace said that William took the photo earlier in the week at their home in Windsor. The press release accompanying the photo asked that news outlets not alter the image “in any manner or form,” but it did not mention that the image had already been altered.
On Sunday evening, the Associated Press issued a “kill notification,” an industry term, for anyone using the photo, saying in an alert to journalists that on “closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
In an updated story on the photo, the AP said it showed an “inconsistency in the alignment” of Charlotte’s hand. The AP added that it issued a retraction because “the source had manipulated the image” in a way that did not meet photo standards. A Reuters spokesperson said the photo was withdrawn after a post-publication inspection and added that the agency was “reviewing the matter.”
The Press Association (PA), the United Kingdom’s biggest news agency, retracted the picture on its service Monday morning. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson said that in the “absence” of clarification from the palace, it was withdrawing the image. The royal family often releases official information via PA, which is then distributed to other media outlets. PA said that Kensington Palace, a London residence of Prince William and Catherine, would not be reissuing the original unedited photograph of Catherine and her children.
Media outlets worldwide, including The Washington Post, ran the photo. The Post has since removed the image from its original story.
The photo’s release came after weeks of speculation about Catherine’s whereabouts spiraled on social media.
Kensington Palace announced in January that she would probably not resume official duties before April and that it would provide updates on her health only when there was “significant new information to share.” The palace also said Catherine was recovering at her home in Windsor.
The palace is typically tight-lipped when it comes to royal health, but the lack of recent photographs or updates nonetheless fueled rumors about her well-being and whereabouts.
Her last public appearance was on Christmas Day, when she was photographed attending a church service in Sandringham.
The photo of Catherine released on Sunday, Mother’s Day in Britain, was dated 2024 in Kensington Palace’s post.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the post read. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”
The British royal family has long been an expert at image projection — Queen Elizabeth II, who used to wear brightly colored outfits for her public appearances, once said that “I have to be seen to be believed.”
These projections have been especially important when the royals haven’t been making public appearances.
Even though King Charles III has largely been out of the public eye since Buckingham Palace announced he was undergoing treatment for cancer, the royal Instagram account has been buzzing with posts — since his diagnosis, the palace has posted images of the king holding Zoom chats with foreign leaders and greeting ambassadors behind closed doors. In a video montage, he is seen reading “get well” letters. On Sunday, the royal Instagram account posted a decades-old photo of Charles kissing his mother’s hand.
On Monday, Charles was expected to take part in the annual Commonwealth Day ceremony, a major set-piece event in the royal diary. While Prince William and Queen Camilla are expected to attend in person, Charles’s address will be delivered with a prerecorded message.
Somasundaram reported from Washington. Jennifer Hassan in London contributed to this report.
