Twitter has alerted users about possible “inconsistencies” in a sweet Mother’s Day photo of Princess Kate with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The picture, shared on Sunday, showed Kate beaming with her kids, but fans noticed some strange details.
What Fans Noticed
The warning on X was added to the original postCredit: x/Twitter
While many were happy to see Kate looking well after her abdominal surgery two months ago, some sharp-eyed fans pointed out at least four “editing fails” in the image shared by Kensington Palace.
As a result, several major photo agencies, including AP, Getty Images, Reuters, and AFP, issued a “kill notice” to retract the picture due to concerns it had been digitally altered.
Official Response and Apology
The PA news agency also withdrew the image. A spokesperson said, “Like other news agencies, PA Media issued the handout image provided by Kensington Palace of the Princess of Wales and her children in good faith yesterday.
We became aware of concerns about the image and carried a report about it last night. We are seeking urgent clarification from Kensington Palace. In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.”
Princess Kate later apologized for the confusion, admitting she sometimes experiments with photo editing. “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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” she said.
Twitter’s Warning
The original post on X (formerly Twitter) now carries a warning: “Major news agencies, including the Associated Press, Getty Images, and Reuters, note inconsistencies that suggest digital alteration by Kensington Palace.” This box appears after multiple users flag the need for additional context.
Fans’ Observations
People couldn’t help but comment on the odd “inconsistencies” in the family photo. Fans questioned why Kate wasn’t wearing her wedding ring and noticed her other hand appeared blurry. They also pointed out that Charlotte’s cardigan sleeve seemed to disappear, her skirt looked fuzzy, and there was an odd cut in the skirting board.
In a color-corrected version of the image, Kate’s zipper didn’t line up, and some thought the tree leaves’ color was off for the season.
Public Reactions
Piers Morgan commented, “The Palace should release the unedited photo of Kate & the kids asap. If it’s just a small bit of harmless retouching gone wrong, nobody will care. If they don’t release the original pic, the conspiracy theories they were trying to kill will get way worse.”
On Monday, Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith appeared on Good Morning Britain, urging the public to “leave it alone.” He said, “The smiles on their faces said it all for me; I thought it was beautiful.
The family wouldn’t be the ones to do any touch-ups, so that’s gone through some filter before it’s gone out to the world. All I was looking at were the faces and smiles, and they just looked like a beautiful family. This whole sleeve gate thing, just leave it alone.”
The controversy highlights the scrutiny the royal family faces, even in moments meant to celebrate family and motherhood.
