‘At least I didn’t photoshop it’: Dutch King pokes fun at Kate

A senior European royal has made a joke about the Wales’ photo debacle during a public appearance as Princess Catherine’s staff remain “concerned” about her health.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has made a joke about Princess Catherine’s photo-editing fail.

According to a report in the New York Post, the Dutch monarch spoke to members of the public at a royal engagement in Zutphen, Netherlands when a young fan asked him about his family portrait.

After speaking with the schoolgirl, the King quipped, “At least I didn’t photoshop it,” referencing the Princess of Wales’ recent digital mishap.

The joke seemingly landed with onlookers, who burst into laughter at the cheeky dig in a clip shared on X.

The controversial photo. Picture: Instagram/Prince and Princess of Wales

Princess Catherine was forced to issue an apology this week after she released a doctored family photo for UK Mother’s Day on March 10.

Just seconds after the image was unveiled on social media, eagle-eyed followers noticed a myriad of editing mishaps in the photo of the royal with her three children.

Meisje had al een foto van een jonge Willem-Alexander gezien. “Die was niet gephotoshopt,” zegt Willem-Alexander pic.twitter.com/4VXtq1ke8q

— Rick Evers (@RickEversRoyal) March 12, 2024

The widespread speculation prompted conspiracy theorists to come out of the woodwork, with claims being made not only about the princess’ health, but also her whereabouts.

The future queen returned to social media to set the record straight on what had happened with the photo.

King Willem-Alexander made a joke about the royal photo scandal during a public appearance in Holland. Picture: AFP

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote on X in the wake of the controversy.

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

Leading photo agencies — including Reuters, the Associated Press, Getty, and Agence France-Presse — subsequently yanked the image over numerous signs it had been altered.

France’s AFP news agency has since announced that Kensington Palace cannot be deemed a “trusted source” of information.

The Royal Family arein the midst of a crisis. Picture: AFP

Speaking on the BBC, Phil Chetwynd, the global news director of AFP, said that the Prince and Princess of Wales’ mouthpiece is “absolutely not” reliable.

What’s more, all photos previously issued by Kensington Palace are being placed under review by CNN.

While the Palace has opted to stay silent about the debacle, Prince William this week gushed that his wife is the “arty” one in the relationship.

However, he did not address the mounting speculation about her health during his youth centre outing.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that even Princess Catherine’s senior staff members don’t have knowledge of her post-recovery process.

Princess Catherine has not been seen in public since Christmas Day. Picture: Getty Images

The Princess of Wales has been recovering from her abdominal surgery behind closed doors since January — but according to those working for her, she is nowhere to be seen.

“A few of Kate’s senior staffers haven’t been able to see or speak to her, and they didn’t even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it’s caught them off guard,” a source told Us Weekly.

The widespread speculation caused by the release of the princess’ doctored family photo last week prompted sleuths to make claims not only about the royal’s health, but also her whereabouts.

Kensington Palace is in crisis. Picture: AFP

And according to Kensington Palace insiders, Princess Catherine has only just started opening up to her inner circle about the nature of her surgery.

What’s more, insiders claim the princess’s staffers weren’t aware of her operation until after she’d had it.

“Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped,” a source told the outlet. “It’s confusing and causing some concern.”

The source added that she has only had a few visitors, including cancer-stricken King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, but is otherwise covered by a “shroud of secrecy.”

Prince William has attended two public events this week but has not commented on his wife’s health. Picture: AFP

A second source says the palace is being “very hush-hush” about Catherine’s post-op recovery.

“Kate’s said she feels she’s entitled to heal and recuperate without all of this frenzied speculation,” an insider said, adding that it was her decision to keep details of her surgery private. “Neither Kate nor William think her medical records should be for public consumption.”

“She’s trying not to pay attention to all the rumours and gossip, and William is doing his best to shield her, but it’s distressing,” they added.

“This has been a stressful time for William and Kate, but they’re made of tough stuff and are weathering through,” a source said.

KATE’S PHOTO FLAGGED BY INSTAGRAM

Instagram has slapped a warning on a family photo shared by Princess Catherine that has sparked backlash and a wave of conspiracy theories.

The image, which has been revealed to be heavily edited in Photoshop and littered with errors, now carries a flag alerting people that the image could be fraudulent.

The post comes with a warning symbol icon and says: “Altered photo/video. The same altered photo was reviewed by independent fact-checkers in another post.”

The photo was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales official Instagram account to mark Mother’s Day in the UK.

It comes as Prince William joked his “wife is the arty one” as he brushed off Princess Catherine’s photo editing saga.

The Prince of Wales was mocking his artistic skills while decorating biscuits at a youth centre in London on Thursday.
He also played billiards and shot some basketball hoops with the kids.

William plays pool during a visit to WEST in London, England. Picture: Getty Images

While chatting to kids at the event and struggling with icing the cookies, William revealed: “My wife is the arty one. Even my children are artier than me.”

Appearing cheerful, William sat down with the children and asked them about their mobile phone usage and their mental health, brushing off the social media storm that has been triggered by his wife’s edited image.

The Prince of Wales throws a basketball during a visit to WEST, the new OnSide Youth Zone in Hammersmith and Fulham in London. Picture: AFP

William celebrates with young people after he threw a basketball during his visit to WEST. Picture: Getty Images

WHITE HOUSE REACTS TO KATE’S RECOVERY

The White House publicly wished a swift recovery to Catherine and said it would respect her privacy after a manipulated royal photo unleashed a torrent of speculation about her wellbeing.
“I have not spoken to the president about Kate Middleton,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters travelling with US president Joe Biden on a campaign trip when asked about the controversy.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Picture: AFP

Princess Catherine and Prince William in Boston in 2022. Picture: Getty Images

“We certainly wish her a speedy recovery. She has asked for privacy, her family has asked for privacy and we’re certainly going to respect that,” Jean-Pierre added aboard Air Force One.

The Photoshop scandal morphed into “Kategate,” a controversy centred around her elusiveness, post-abdominal surgery, and her photo edit fail.

Social media and late-night talk shows are also speculating over the state of her marriage to William.

Catherine has not been seen in any sustained public capacity since undergoing abdominal surgery in January, and her apology this week for editing a palace-issued photograph of herself with her three children merely fuelled the speculation over her health and whereabouts.

Catherine opening of Evelina London's new children's day surgery unit in December 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Britain's national newspapers, about the altered photo. Picture: AFP

The altered image was withdrawn by news agencies including AFP and at least five others. Jean-Pierre briefly addressed the issue in a lighthearted exchange with a reporter who asked if the White House ever digitally altered photos of the president.

“Are you comparing us to … what’s going on in the UK? Why does the monarch have to do anything with us?” she said at a briefing.

“No, that is not something that we do here.”

President Joe Biden last met with William and Catherine in Boston in 2022, which they were visiting for the Earthshot Prize.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been “awfully quiet” amid Catherine’s health and media ordeals and haven’t publicly wished her well, according to royal commentator Josh Rom.

“They haven’t sent their love to the Princess of Wales publicly, they’ve been rather silent on that front,” Rom told Sky News.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not directly commented on Princess Catherine’s current media crisis. Picture: Supplied

“Considering that they like to live their truth in a very public way and make all these bombshell accusations when the monarchy is suffering or when the monarchy is, you know, in a very … temperamental situation at the moment.

“Where, of course, His Majesty the King is battling a form of cancer and is undergoing treatment for that, Her Majesty the Queen, Queen Camilla, has had to take a break due to … carrying on the burden and saying that she had energy that she never knew that she had. And we have the Prince of Wales pulling out of a very significant event due to personal matters.”