Kate Middleton has broken the internet once again after being absent from the public spotlight for almost three months. Ever since her surgery in January, the princess’ whereabouts gained a lot of attention on social media and her latest Mother’s Day’ photograph quickly became a trending topic for its apparent manipulation, which led to it being “killed” by the international press.
After reporting the news, several major news agencies decided to withdraw the image shared by Kensington Palace showing Kate Middleton with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis amid concerns of manipulation. On top of that, netizens were quick to point out the flaws in the photo like Princess Charlotte’s sleeve cuff and a zipper on the left side on the jacket of the Princess of Wales.
The alleged manipulation by Kensington Palace over the photograph caused major concerns among prestigious news agencies such as the Associated Press and Reuters. The former even sent out a “Kill notification” to all its workers and prohibited the use of the image:
“At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image. Please remove it from all platforms, including social, where it may still be visible.”
Although it is clear that Kate Middleton only wanted to share with the world this special moment with her children, all the attention was drawn towards the blatant edition of the photograph. To make things worse, this situation only fuels the rumors of Kate’s condition and the secrecy around her disappearance from the spotlight.