FRIENDS OF KATE MIDDLETON AND PRINCE WILLIAM STUNNED BY ALTERED MOTHER’S DAY PORTRAIT
A week has elapsed since Kate Middleton, and the monarchy found themselves embroiled in controversy. The Mother’s Day photo shared by the Princess of Wales was found to be heavily edited, prompting news outlets to swiftly remove it from circulation. Meanwhile, the veil of silence shrouding Kate’s situation deepens, with Kensington Palace remaining tight-lipped, withholding both information and images of the future queen.
The altered Mother’s Day image, unveiled last Sunday, bore glaring inconsistencies, most notably the absence of Kate Middleton’s wedding ring—a detail that left royal enthusiasts and experts scratching their heads. Despite the possibility of digital manipulation, fueling rampant conspiracy theories, clarity remains elusive.
While conjecture predominantly swirls in online realms, the whispers of conspiracy have reached the ears of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s inner circle. Although Kensington Palace has refrained from confirming, denying, or addressing rumors concerning the royal couple’s relationship, the shockwaves reverberate among the friends of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The revelation of the manipulated Mother’s Day picture triggered outrage among royal enthusiasts and experts alike, prompting a swift apology from the princess herself.
“Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I want to extend my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photograph we shared yesterday. I hope all celebrating had a joyous Mother’s Day. C,” Kate stated in a post across the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media platforms.
It didn’t take long before photography experts and social media sleuths dissected the image, uncovering glaring errors and subpar editing techniques.
Numerous news agencies, including the Associated Press and Getty, issued “kill notices” to retract or refrain from using the photo. AFP (Agence France-Presse), a prominent news agency, also employed a similar notice, expressing their loss of trust in Kensington Palace as a reliable source.
“No, absolutely not. When you’re let down by a source, the bar is raised… We’ve instructed our teams to be extra vigilant about content from what we’d consider trusted sources,” remarked Phil Chetwynd, AFP’s global news director, during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Media Show.
Chetwynd revealed that multiple news agencies had requested the original photo from Kensington Palace, to no avail. In the absence of a response, the image was promptly withdrawn.
Furthermore, Chetwynd noted that kill notices are typically reserved for sources such as North Korea, emphasizing the rarity of employing such measures based on manipulation—a practice occurring perhaps once a year, if not less frequently.
It has been over a week since Kate shared the edited photo on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales. In response to concerns raised by the manipulated image, Instagram has taken the unprecedented step of adding an “altered photo” disclaimer beneath Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day post. The warning notifies users: “Altered photo/video. The same altered photo was reviewed by independent fact-checkers in another post.”
Amid the fallout from the manipulated picture, speculation continues to swirl on social media platforms regarding Kate Middleton’s status, particularly in light of AFP’s declaration that Kensington Palace is no longer deemed a trustworthy source.
The editing errors present in Kate’s Mother’s Day post, notably her absence of a wedding ring, have sparked fears regarding the state of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage, prompting discussions about potential implications for the future of the royal family.
Compounding these concerns are longstanding rumors, dating back five years, surrounding Prince William’s alleged affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley and a close friend of Kate’s. While no official confirmation has been issued, reports emerged in April 2019 alleging a rift between William, Kate, and Rose, with speculation suggesting that Kate confronted William regarding the rumors, only for him to dismiss them as unfounded.
Richard Kay, a royal expert for the Daily Mail, publicly refuted these rumors at the time, denouncing them as baseless and unfounded. Despite both parties’ contemplation of legal action, no evidence has been presented to substantiate the alleged dispute, leading them to dismiss the rumors as false and opting to refrain from further engagement with the speculation.
The rumors surrounding Rose Hanbury and her alleged rift with Kate Middleton gained momentum in 2019, with reports from the Daily Mail suggesting that Kate intended to “phase out” Rose from their circle of friends. Compounding the situation was the close proximity of Rose’s residence, Houghton Hall, to William and Kate’s summer home in Anmer Hall, both located in Norfolk, and the overlapping social circles they shared.
Rose Hanbury’s ties to the royal family run deep, as evidenced by her maternal grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Lambert, who served as one of Queen Elizabeth’s bridesmaids at her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947, according to Tatler.
Despite her eventual closeness with the royal couple, Rose’s relationship with William and Kate took time to develop. Tatler notes that the two couples shared double dates, and both Kate and Rose serve as patrons of the East Anglia Children’s Hospice.
Rose Hanbury’s educational background includes attending the prestigious Stowe boarding school before pursuing a degree through the Open University. While initially embarking on a brief modeling career, she later transitioned into politics, serving as a political researcher for Conservative MP Michael Gove.
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