LONDON, March 11, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Britain's royal family faced mounting 
pressure on Monday to explain how an official photo of Catherine, Princess of 
Wales had been altered, after AFP and other agencies withdrew the image.

Kate, 42, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church 
service, and underwent abdominal surgery in January, fuelling speculation 
about her health, particularly online.

Her Kensington Palace office on Sunday sought to dispel rumours by 
distributing an official photograph said to have been taken by her husband 
Prince William of her with their three children.

But questions quickly emerged of the Mother's Day portrait of a smiling Kate, 
casually dressed and seated in a garden chair, surrounded by Prince George, 
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Closer examination showed specifically that Charlotte's left hand was 
misaligned with the sleeve of her cardigan.

AFP, Getty, the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters all have policies about 
distributing manipulated images, and pulled it, despite initially publishing 
the photograph provided by Kensington Palace.

"It has come to light that the handout issued by Kensington Palace today of 
Kate and the kids had been altered, therefore it was withdrawn from AFP 
systems," the agency said in a note to clients.

The AP said it had retracted the image because on "closer inspection, it 
appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP's 
photo standards". Reuters said similar.

- 'Damaging' -

Despite the furore, which many commentators suggested now cast doubt on 
palace reassurances about Kate's health and recuperation, Kensington Palace 
has not commented.

William, 41, and other senior royals are expected to attend annual 
Commonwealth Day celebrations in central London later on Monday.

Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, said the situation was 
"damaging" for the family. "They knew there would be intense interest in any 
picture they released of Kate," he said.

"Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted 
and believed when they next issue a health update." 

 

Graham Smith, who heads the Republic pressure group calling for an elected 
head of state, added: "It's quite simple. Don't use their own photos. It's 
PR, not news."

Intense interest in Kate's absence comes from the fact that William -- King 
Charles III's elder son -- is heir to the throne, meaning she will be one day 
be queen.

According to Kensington Palace, she was admitted to hospital on January 16 
for planned surgery, then left on January 29, to recuperate at home until at 
least Easter on March 31.

The contentious photograph, published on all royal social media channels and 
widely picked up in Britain and across the world, was accompanied a message 
signed by Kate.

"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two 
months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day," it read. The message was 
signed "C" for Catherine.

- Health woes -

British newspapers quickly changed their front pages late on Sunday to 
reflect the brewing controversy.

Royal officials have not specified the nature of Kate's operation but have 
said it was not cancer-related.

Earlier this month, a snatched photograph said to have been of Kate wearing 
sunglasses while being driven by her mother were published on the celebrity 
news site TMZ.

The sighting, said to have been near William and Kate's Windsor home west of 
London, also failed to dampen conspiracy theories on social media about 
Kate's absence from the spotlight.

The announcement about Kate's hospital admission came just before another 
about her father-in-law's treatment for a benign enlarged prostate.

It was then announced that he had been diagnosed with an unrelated -- but so 
far unspecified -- cancer, which has forced him to cancel public engagements, 
barring some official meetings.

Charles, 75, has only been king and British head of state since the death of 
his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

His wife, Queen Camilla, 76, has since stepped up to take the lead as the 
royals' most senior figure at public events.