British media hardly mentioned ‘missing Kate’ – but they couldn’t ignore this photo

The royal family has scarcely commented on the condition of Catherine, Princess of Wales, since she had abdominal surgery in mid-January when Kensington Palace informed the public she was unlikely to appear in public until after Easter.

The lack of updates and sightings, other than a paparazzi shot on a US-based celebrity gossip site, had sent social media into a conspiracy-laden frenzy regarding her whereabouts.

The Daily Express front page says the photo proves that Catherine is “on the mend”. The Daily Mail says that attempt at reassurance may have backfired.Credit:

So, where is Catherine? Mainstream British media had largely steered clear of the question, trying to balance their love for royal news with the expectation that public figures in Britain should be entitled to privacy when it comes to health matters. On the weekend The Times dedicated a double-page spread to the issue.

But on Monday, when a Mother’s Day photo of Catherine, released by the palace, was deemed to have been manipulated by international photo agencies, the issue became too big to ignore.

Many of Britain’s front pages for Monday feature the photo, but only some had enough time to change their copy to address takedown notices issued by photo agencies, including AP and Getty.

Before the agencies’ intervention, The Sun’s royal editor Matt Wilkinson referenced “nonsense on social media” and said the photo was an important signal that all was well with the princess.

“The Princess of Wales is one of the most photographed women in the world, but this one today is perhaps one of the most important we have seen for many years.

“She’s looking well and she’s smiling and hopefully this will now dispel any of these crazy myths that have been going around online.”

It wasn’t long before the words “ROYAL RECALL” were plastered on at the top of The Sun website.

ITV News royal editor Chris Ship, in a post on X, said the attempt to control the rumour mill had failed.

“I suspect this was not the headline Kensington Palace was hoping to get from the normally supportive @Telegraph on Monday morning: ‘Photo from Palace was doctored, say agencies’.”

Piers Morgan, never one to shy away from royal commentary, posted AP’s “kill notification” and said that the scandal had likely only made things worse.

“If, as this astounding @AP kill notice claims, the Palace manipulated that Kate photo to quash all the wild conspiracy theories about her, then they’ll have just made things 100x worse,” he posted on X.

The Daily Mirror’s front page is almost entirely dedicated to the “happy snap for Mother’s Day” without reference to the manipulation scandal, while The Daily Telegraph headline reads: “Photo from palace was doctored, agencies say”.

Hours after the Mirror posted its Monday front page on X, it shared a new story talking about the “cringe editing fail” – but later shared another, highlighting the “subtle change in ‘warm’ Kate Middleton’s smile”.

Newspapers with earlier deadlines are running the photo with a positive story about the first official picture, others had time to address the photo agencies’ accusations.Credit:

Monday’s Daily Express front page carried the photo with the words “Kate thanks nation for its support with charming photo that proves she’s on the mend”. The Daily Mail had time to update its story and reflect that what was meant to reassure the public had backfired.

Associated Press – one of four agencies that recalled the photo including Getty, AFP and Reuters – detailed how it first published the photo before taking it down and informing the media to do the same. It accused Kensington Palace of manipulating the image.

“The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace,” the AP statement read.

“The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that 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.”

British news outlets didn’t publish last week’s TMZ paparazzi photo that showed Catherine, wearing large sunglasses, in the passenger seat of a car driven by her mother – but the image was widely available on social media.

British media adheres to a code of practice that protects people against unjustified intrusion into matters of physical and mental health, and a court has ruled the right to privacy extends to the royal family.

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