U.K.'s Kate Middleton apologizes for 'confusion' over edited photo

The family photo might have helped ease concerns and questions about Kate, the Princess of Wales — but then viewers noted irregularities in the image, and a flurry of new questions emerged. And now the princess has acknowledged that the photo she released on Sunday was manipulated.

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the princess said on social media Monday. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."

Acknowledgement of the doctored photo came after several news agencies retracted the photo. The Associated Press, for instance, noted the odd "alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand with the sleeve of her sweater" and stated, "At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image."

The photo was released on the U.K.'s Mother's Day, showing Kate (Princess Catherine) seated in a chair, sharing a hug with her children: Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George. In the post, Kate credited her husband, Prince William, with taking the picture.

"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," Kate wrote.

On its face, the cheery image seemed to suggest the princess was healthy and happy after she virtually disappeared from public view in late December. Kensington Palace had shared scant details about Kate, 42, saying that after having "successful" abdominal surgery in January, she spent nearly two weeks in hospital.

But then the questions arose, growing from rumor to full retraction. In its discussion of the photo, the AP noted that its photo standards prohibit substantial editing of an image, as well as the removal of "red eye" effects. [Copyright 2024 NPR]