From royalty to social media commenters, people are still getting their jokes off about Princess Kate Middleton’s photoshop controversy.
Netherlands King Willem-Alexander joined the pile-on in a video posted via X on Tuesday, March 12, in which he was speaking to a group of children at a royal engagement in Zutphen. When one of them remarked on a photo of the king, 56, he replied, “At least I didn’t photoshop it.”
The satirical barrage directed at Kate, 42, began with a photo that the royal family released on Sunday, March 10, showing her celebrating Mother’s Day in the U.K. with her and Prince William’s three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” Kate wrote in the caption.
Keen-eyed viewers soon began pointing out inconsistencies in the photo, leading to speculation that it had been photoshopped. The public noticed that Charlotte’s sweater didn’t appear to line up properly on her left sleeve and that Kate’s hair was oddly blurred. Others also noted inconsistencies in the patterns on Louis and George’s sweaters.
The next day, Kate issued a statement apologizing for the confusion surrounding the editing.
”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.”
The timing of the controversy only added fuel to the speculation. Kate spent 13 days in a London clinic after abdominal surgery for an undisclosed issue. Just days before the photo debacle, Kate was spotted publicly for the first time since the procedure, but updates on her progress have been sparse.
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” began a release from her office at Kensington Palace at the time of her January surgery. “She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private. Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.”
Kate first took up photography as a hobby during the pandemic, labeling herself as an amateur and sharing tips she’s learned along the way. She even joked that her kids have begged her to stop bombarding them with photos.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Mummy, please stop taking photographs!’ she said in a June 2021 interview.
Several news outlets eventually pulled the doctored image from their sites.
