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Kate Middleton's Mother's Day Photo Sparks Social Media Buzz Over 'Manipulation', News Agencies Pull Pics

Amidst Mother's Day celebrations, a photo of Kate Middleton and her children, released by Kensington Palace, faces controversy and withdrawal by major news agencies due to allegations of manipulation, sparking discussions on social media.

AP
A photo of Kate Middleton and her children, released by Kensington Palace, faces controversy. Photo: AP
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Major news agencies, including The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, have withdrawn an image distributed by Kensington Palace featuring Kate Middleton and her children. Allegations have arisen claiming that the photo was manipulated. This image, the first officially released after Kate's abdominal surgery in January, was intended to mark Mother's Day in the United Kingdom.

The withdrawal notices sent out by news agencies cited concerns about manipulation. According to the Associated Press, a closer inspection revealed potential alterations, while Agence France-Presse mentioned an "editorial issue." Both AP and Reuters specifically pointed out the sleeve of Kate's daughter, Charlotte, as an area showing evidence of manipulation.

Social media has been abuzz with speculation about Kate's health and whereabouts. Some users, including a self-identified photography enthusiast, pointed out apparent alterations in the image. Comments from users on social media highlighted perceived distortions in the sleeve and skirt areas, with some noting that even amateur photographers could spot the retouching errors.

Notably, some social media users observed that Kate Middleton was not wearing her wedding ring in the photograph. This image's release followed weeks of speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding Kate's health and location after her abdominal surgery in January.

Here are some tweets:

This photo release came after weeks of speculation surrounding Kate's well-being, particularly following her abdominal surgery in January. Despite the controversy, Kensington Palace has yet to address the controversy surrounding the photo.