Kate Middleton is taking a different approach than that of her late mother-in-law.
On March 11, the Princess of Wales spoke out after news and photo agencies pulled a new photo released by Kensington Palace for Mother’s Day in the U.K. due to suspicions of manipulation. The royal has kept a low profile as she recuperates from recent abdominal surgery for undisclosed reasons.
Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital that, while Princess Diana would not have, Kate Middleton took the fall for the photo mishap. This move has only fueled intense speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding her health.
"Altering a photo is not something that Diana would ever have considered doing because she knew full well that she would be crucified if she did," Andersen explained. "Diana was a loner. Kate is the consummate team player. The palace wouldn't have dared ask Diana to apologize for anything - they knew that the answer would be a resounding ‘no.’"
"Kate, on the other hand, is more compliant, more eager to please," Andersen claimed. "Among senior royals, she's always been more of a ‘go along to get along’ type. One can't help but feel she is being taken advantage of at a time when it has become increasingly clear that she is coping with a health matter that is more serious than we've been led to believe."
In her apology, which was shared on social media, the mother of three wrote, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing."
"I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused," the 42-year-old wrote. "I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day."
The message was signed "C" for Catherine.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace, which handles the office of the Prince and Princess of Wales, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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"My guess is Kate volunteered to issue a mea culpa statement, and her less-than-gallant handlers were happy to have her take the fall," Andersen claimed. "They probably thought that Kate's apology would serve the dual purpose of explaining what was going on with that photograph and simultaneously reassuring people that she's very much alive and well and aware of the public's concern. Obviously, they didn't think it through."
"The palace could certainly have just issued a general explanation, not assigning blame to any specific individual," Andersen shared. "They could have merely said that, as with most retouched photographs, the goal was to make everyone look better.
"Kate is a talented curator and photographer. I'm inclined to believe her when she says she retouched the photograph. The mistake of thinking she could pass it off to the press was entirely hers. Compounding that error in judgment is her half-explanation, which raises more questions than it answers. What, exactly, did she retouch and why? Once again, the palace has failed Kate and the royal family by just releasing little provocative tidbits of information and leaving the public hanging. The inevitable result is chaos, confusion, and a plethora of conspiracy theories."
The image in question showed Middleton with her children, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.
"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day," the caption read, signed with a "C."
The Associated Press and other news agencies pulled the image from their websites over concerns that it was "manipulated."
"AP initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. But AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand," the news agency said.
According to AP, their "editorial standards state that images must be accurate. AP does not use altered or digitally manipulated images.
"AP’s news values and principles explain that minor photo editing, including cropping and toning and color adjustments, are acceptable when necessary for clear and accurate reproduction and should maintain the authentic nature of the photograph."
"Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning. The removal of ‘red eye’ from photographs is not permissible."
When AP determined the photo appeared to have been manipulated, it issued what is known as a "photo kill," an industry term that retracted the image and instructed clients to remove the photo from their systems.
The Associated Press also announced that "no replacement photo will be sent." Fox News Digital confirmed that Reuters and Getty also pulled the photo from their sites.
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The caption noted that the photo had been taken in "2024" by Middleton's husband, Prince William, who is heir to the British throne.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that the royal’s priority should be recuperating behind closed doors. The sooner she is healed, the sooner she can embark on royal duties, hoping to put the rumor mill to rest.
"The chaos over the photograph … was completely unexpected," he said. "… Although when both Diana and Kate married, they were destined to be queens, but their backgrounds are different as are their temperaments. Diana used the press. The relationship was symbiotic-faithfully so… It has been claimed that [William and Kate] use the press, but they are also the world’s most sought-after royal couple.… Catherine took the blame because she, a keen amateur photographer, was responsible. I doubt anyone or anything will stop the conspiracy theories online.… It has been a difficult time for the royal family."
"There is complete mismanagement of the Kensington Palace press office," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "... Contrary to public perception, the royal family lacks proper coordination regarding public narrative. Both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have completely separate teams, their modus operandi is completely different, hence the mixed messaging."
"Prince Harry referred to the 'constant infighting, one-upping, and leaking,' which pervades the differing press offices," she shared. "While not everything he said was to be believed, there were many instances where we might have seen staffers for one member of the royal family provide different accounts of the same situation."
Kensington Palace previously shared that the Princess of Wales is expected to return to public duties sometime after Easter.
