Comment
ARTHUR EDWARDS
I feel for Kate over this self-inflicted storm, but here’s what I find is the real tragedy of the whole episode
Right now the Windsors have more pressing concerns than a bit of amateur Photoshopping
IT was a heart-warming image of Princess Catherine that should have silenced the conspiracy theorist big-mouths of social media.
Instead it has achieved the opposite and set tongues wagging.
4
4
4
That’s desperately sad.
This was Kate, an accomplished amateur photographer, trying her hand at manipulating a photo — and she made a sloppy job of it.
It’s a golden rule that while you can crop a picture, you never, ever interfere with the image itself.
Picture agencies were right to kill the photo from their archives. They have to make sure they have the public’s trust that the images they distribute are true and accurate representations.
READ MORE ON KATE MIDDLETON
Kate shouldn’t have done it and she was right to put her hand up and admit to her mistake so quickly.
She has learnt a tough and very public lesson. But is it the end of the world?
There have been some very amusing and clever memes making light of it and I’m sure Kate would see the funny side of most of them.
But separate to the social media laughs are its usual avalanche of disgusting bile and hateful comments.
Most read in The Sun
These cheap shots at Kate will be upsetting for her.
Prince William issues urgent statement on environment after brushing off Princess Kate’s Photoshop drama
I’ll be honest, when I first glanced at the photo of Kate with George, Charlotte and Louis on Sunday, I didn’t notice anything amiss.
The beaming smiles of a proud mum and her kids really melted my heart.
It was the perfect Mother’s Day snap.
And who was behind the camera? None other than Prince William.
What a well-composed picture it was.
So it’s such a shame it has now been overshadowed.
Odd speculation
That Kensington Palace has refused to release the original picture is hardly surprising.
They want to draw a line under things and save Kate further embarrassment.
But of course this comes amid all the speculation as to what’s happening with Kate, who, bar a brief picture yesterday and last week, none of us has seen since December.
So many people — myself included — have been eager for an update on the Princess of Wales’s health since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
The Palace said at the time she would be missing from public engagements until after Easter.
Since then the British media has respected Kate’s right to privacy while she recuperates from her operation.
When the royals make a mistake, it is in the glare of public scrutiny
And rightly so.
Yet that hasn’t stopped odd speculation on Kate’s absence from public life on the internet by people who clearly have nothing better to do.
On Sunday the Palace felt the time was then right to issue their own photo of Kate — and what better date than Mother’s Day?
The image had such a pull on the heartstrings that it appeared on the front of the next morning’s newspapers.
When international picture agencies said they were taking the picture out of circulation I had a closer look at it.
It is clear it has been got at.
The sleeve on Charlotte’s cardigan is the really obvious clue things weren’t right.
Louis’s right hand looks odd, and where’s Kate’s wedding ring?
Now the conspiracies are flying thick and fast — not that these people need any encouragement.
Everyone knows that with even simple tools on the internet you can doctor an image.
But official photographs distributed by the Palace or Government should be beyond reproach.
I really feel for Kate over the self-inflicted aggravation caused by this well-meaning photo.
She is recuperating from a serious operation while bringing up a young family.
The head of the family, her father-in-law the King, is being treated for cancer.
Kate will never tamper with an image destined for public consumption again.
When the royals make a mistake, it is in the glare of public scrutiny.
They have to suck it up and get on with it.
Yet right now the Windsors have more pressing concerns than a bit of amateur Photoshopping.
Genuine at heart
After her mea culpa statement, Kate was pictured being driven from Windsor Castle alongside the Prince of Wales.
It was good to know she was at William’s side shortly after this hoo-ha over the picture erupted.
A bodged attempt at photographic manipulation it may have been, but I still think it’s a delightful image.
Kate looks radiant and so proud on Mother’s Day, surrounded by her loving kids.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
It’s full of uplifting love and emotion.
Kate may have tinkered with other parts of the picture but there’s no faking that.
4