Kensington Palace’s assertions that Kate Middleton is chill and fine aren’t being received quite as it would like. First, people started meme-ing her disappearance from public life. Then she was photographed in a car, which also got meme’d to hell. Now, the Princess of Wales’s Mother’s Day portrait has been pulled from major news outlets due to blatant Photoshopping. In response, the social-media account for the Prince and Princess of Wales put out a statement, purportedly from Kate herself. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,†she (apparently) said. “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.†Notably, this does not include a direct statement that the picture is real. Instead, it is two separate statements, one about photography in general and one an apology that does not clarify why the photo was edited.
According to Deadline, the Associated Press, Getty Images, Reuters, and AFP have all pulled the picture from their libraries because they’re concerned it has been manipulated. AP sent out a kill notification that claimed “the source,†meaning Kensington Palace, had manipulated the image. Social-media users pointed out the evidence of Photoshopping — which included blurred spots, sharp lines, weird hands on the kids, and something going on with Princess Charlotte’s sleeve. Not exactly the kind of thing that’s gonna stop the meme in its tracks.
This post has been updated throughout.