Kate Middleton was seen leaving Windsor Castle alongside Prince William on Monday, shortly after issuing an apology for releasing a manipulated family photo. The 42-year-old Princess of Wales, who has been recovering from abdominal surgery, was photographed in a black Land Rover as she joined her husband on the journey to Westminster Abbey.
The prince will join the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, without Kate. It was Kate's first public appearance in over two months since her surgery, with Kate last appearing on Christmas Day when she attended church in Sandringham. The Princess of Wales is expected to return to her public duties sometime after the Easter holiday.
Kata Spotted after Photo Goof Up
It is unclear where the Princess of Wales was going, but it was evidently along her husband's route into central London. He arrived alone for the 2:45 pm service, which was attended by senior royals including Queen Camilla and Princess Anne.
As they were driven out of the grounds of Windsor Castle in a blue Range Rover, Kate looked out from her window while William seemed to be reading notes on his phone. The Range Rover then dropped William off at the Abbey, leaving Kate behind.
Kensington Palace came under tremendous pressure to release the original version of the Mother's Day photograph, following the Princess of Wales' apology for admitting that she had edited the family portrait.
The original photo featured her seated with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the princess wrote on X as she apologized for releasing a photoshopped photo. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."
The Princess of Wales twitted her apologies after major photo agencies, including Reuters, the Associated Press, Getty, and AFP, removed the photo due to multiple signs of manipulation.
No Damage Control
Public relations experts have described the Mother's Day photo controversy as a significant misstep and have advised royal officials to release the original picture in a bid to rebuild public trust.
A "kill notification" reportedly released by AP reads, "At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image." Sources told The Mirror on Sunday that photo agencies suspect that the photo, captured by Prince William, featuring Middleton, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, has been digitally manipulated from its original form.
Social media sleuths noted anomalies such as the apparent absence of part of Charlotte's arm, Middleton not wearing her wedding ring, and the perceived elongation of her arms to encircle Charlotte and Louis.
Despite the photo being officially released by Kensington Palace and its unquestionable authenticity, it is unlikely to quell the unfounded online conspiracy theories circulating about the princess.
Certain royal watchers noted potential digital alterations in the photo, specifically highlighting concerns about Princess Charlotte's wrist and jumper sleeve. Also, scrutiny extended to perceived issues with Charlotte's boot heel and anomalies in the background paving behind the family.
One frequently identified 'photoshop fail' was Kate Middleton's missing wedding ring on her left hand and the blurring of her right hand, as highlighted in posts on X.
Eagle-eyed members of the public noted various discrepancies, such as Prince Louis' hands, clothing patterns not aligning correctly, and lines that seemed off. In the photo, one of Louis' fingers appeared shorter than the others, contributing to the scrutiny due to an unusual gesture of crossing his fingers.
Other observations made by social media users included concerns about the length of Prince George's arms, the apparent disconnection between Princess Charlotte's jumper sleeve and hand, "blurry" hair, and discrepancies in the depiction of late-autumn leaves on the trees, matching up with the claim the photo is recent.
Some posts alleged that George has two rows of bottom teeth, while others circled issues like the zipper on Kate's jacket not lining up.
Additional points of contention involved discrepancies in the window panes in the background, Charlotte's hair seemingly ending abruptly on her shoulder, and suggestions of potential Photoshop manipulation around Kate's chin.
This incident comes after the Wales family Christmas card was criticized for a 'Photoshop fail' involving one of Louis' seemingly missing fingers. Sources then claimed it was merely bent back.
Kensington Palace seemed caught off guard by the developments and chose not to comment.
Despite the intention of quelling online speculation surrounding the princess, the release of the photo appears to have had the opposite effect, intensifying the fervor of online and social media discussions.
Kate remains out of the public eye as she continues to recover from a scheduled abdominal surgery that took place in January.
