Kate Middleton: ‘Manipulated’ post-surgery image fans conspiracy theories further; news agencies issue ‘kill notice’

Several major news agencies have issued a “kill notice” to the first picture of Kate Middleton after her surgery. The photograph of the Princess of Wales has been withdrawn by agencies like Getty Images, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press as it looked “manipulated”.

Kate has not made any public appearances since December. On top of that, her abdominal surgery started rumours about her well-being. Kensington Palace released the photo on Mother’s Day amid speculations suggesting “sinister” possibilities.

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The photo shows Kate seated with Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George hugging her. The photo was shared on social media. It includes a note from the Prince and Princess of Wales: "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."

Many believe that the release of the photograph was an effort by the palace to quiet the rumours. However, the move may have backfired as Royal observers have noticed that there is something off in the photo.

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There was no suggestion that the photo was fake. Still, AP withdrew the image from circulation as “it did not meet its photo standards”.

What’s wrong with the photo?

Royal experts, as well as netizens, have pointed out a number of inconsistencies in the photo. Take a look:

“It's simple really. There were multiple shots taken during the photo-shoot. It's decided that the facial expressions over multiple shots should be combined into one to make the "perfect" image. Whoever did the Photoshop job rushed it. No big conspiracy, just poor Photoshop skills,” came from one user on X (formerly Twitter).

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“The thing I noticed right away this morning was that Princess Catherine’s abdomen is totally blackened out. That’s not normal. This area should be shown even if it is in a slight shadow,” came from another.

Kensington Palace has not issued any statement yet.