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It was designed to reassure, but a photoshopped family photo only added to online conspiracies, says Robert Jobson
THE PRINCE AND Princess of Wales, known for their relatability, have always guarded their privacy fiercely. This desire for normalcy, while admirable, sometimes clashes with the transparency expected of such public figures, particularly senior royals. In the past they have done deals with the media – effectively trading happy, stage-managed family photos for peace of mind. In return the mainstream UK media largely don’t use paparazzi snaps of them. This ‘gentleman’s agreement’ is policed by their Kensington Palace PR gurus. For years it has largely worked.
Yet, since Catherine’s 13-day hospitalisation at the London Clinic for abdominal surgery in January and necessary recuperation, something has gone awry. At the time, Kensington Palace said she was ‘doing well’ following her operation, and that she wouldn’t return to public duties until Easter, insisting there would be no ‘running commentary’ on her recovery.
But since she returned to Adelaide Cottage from hospital, the internet has gone into overdrive, with fanciful stories about her absence going viral, particularly on TikTok where sleuthers have been sharing wild theories. Apart from one unverified, unauthorised paparazzi pic that the UK media didn’t use, the princess hadn’t been seen. But she has become a trending topic on TikTok.
Perhaps, to quell this online frenzy, as well as to celebrate Mother’s Day, William and Catherine decided to release a happy family snap showing the princess with their kids. William did a 40-minute photoshoot after school and Kensington Palace put out the official image a couple of days later.
Behind the scenes, utilising Photoshop, Catherine – a keen amateur photographer – edited the best shot at least three times to enhance its appeal before it was posted on their Instagram account and released to the media. Then, all hell broke loose.
Hours later it emerged that the photo had been ‘killed’ by respected international wire agencies like Reuters, AFP and AP, and the PA in the UK, creating a media storm. They discovered it had been digitally manipulated, and so they could not distribute it. For them, rightly, it was a question of integrity, trust, and authenticity. Kensington Palace had failed on all three. A further blow came when Instagram inserted an official warning below the picture, writing: ‘Altered photo/video. The same altered photo was reviewed by independent fact-checkers in another post.’
It was a huge blow to the British royals. How could anyone believe anything Kensington Palace officials say, if they were issuing doctored photos? Even the White House press secretary had a dig, stressing the office of the President would never entertain issuing digitally manipulat
