A photograph allegedly taken by her husband, Prince William, to mark Mother’s Day in the UK, put Princess of Wales Kate Middleton at the centre of a media storm.
The photo, which featured the Princess with her three children, was intended to celebrate the occasion but instead stirred controversy and fuelled conspiracies surrounding her absence from the public sphere. To add fuel to the fire, four prominent news agencies ‘killed’ the photo — a term used in the media to denote that the agencies removed it from circulation.
In response to the uproar surrounding the photo, the Princess issued a statement expressing regret for any confusion caused by the image. She acknowledged that, like many amateur photographers, she “occasionally experiments with editing,” hinting at potential alterations made to the picture. The statement, shared on the royal couple’s X account, was signed off with a simple “C”.
On Monday morning, the Press Association — the newswire most relied on by the Royal Family — removed the photo from its service, followed by Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Press.
The Press Association, in particular, emphasised the need for a clarification from Kensington Palace regarding the photograph. “In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service,” the news image wire stated.
The Princess’ recent absence from public engagements due to medical reasons has fuelled speculation and concern, exacerbated by the lack of specific information provided by the palace.
Even before the photograph was withdrawn, it sparked interest because it was the first time Middleton had been seen in public since Christmas Day, when she attended church in Sandringham, along with her family.
On January 17, Kensington Palace issued a statement saying she had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” which would require a 10-day hospital stay but declined to specify the reason for the operation. It indicated that Middleton would not resume her royal duties — meaning public appearances — until after Easter, if not later. In February Prince William attended the BAFTA Film Awards alone.
Last week a paparazzi photograph emerged of Middleton and her mother in a car. The blurry picture, in which the Princess is wearing large sunglasses, did little to alleviate public concern. And despite initial positive reception, the Mother’s Day photo also sparked criticism due to discrepancies identified within the picture by online commentators.
As conspiracy theories abound, it seems clear that the public won’t be satisfied with anything short of an actual appearance from the Princess.
