Topline
Several top news agencies on Sunday retracted a photo of Kate, the Princess of Wales, issued by Kensington Palace after flagging concerns about the image being manipulated, amid ongoing speculation and rumors about the health and whereabouts of the British royal.
Key Facts
According to the BBC, Kensington Palace “declined to comment” on the issue after the image was pulled from circulation by the wire services.
At the time of publishing, the photo remained up on the Palace’s official social media handles, although the X post featuring the image was hit with a community note stating: “This photo is believed to be digitally altered.”
The Associated Press said after closer inspection, it “appeared the source had manipulated the image,” adding the photo “shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
Charlotte is Kate and William’s daughter, and Reuters also noted that part of her cardigan’s sleeve “did not line up properly, suggesting that the image had been altered.”
The photo was the first one of Kate publicly released by the palace since she underwent abdominal surgery in January, and the accompanying message on social media thanked people for their “kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.”