The photo is said to have been taken by Kate’s husband and heir to the throne Prince William.
London:
The Agence France-Presse (AFP) said an altered official photo of Catherine, Princess of Wales and her children did not respect “professional ethical standards” and has withdrawn the image.
The global news agency was one of several major media outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images and the Domestic Press Association, to “kill” the image and no longer distribute it to customers.
– The key issue –
Agence France-Presse said an analysis of Mother’s Day photos released by Kate Middleton’s Kensington Palace office on Sunday highlighted “some inconsistencies in the arrangement.”
They include:
– Kate’s zipper is misaligned and has a dark visible line underneath
– Missing part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve
– Charlotte’s hair suddenly fell over her shoulders.
The photo, said to have been taken by Kate’s husband and heir to the throne Prince William last week, was released after weeks of rumors about her health after she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
The 42-year-old princess has not been seen in public since the Christmas Day church service on December 25 and is not expected to resume official royal duties until at least next month.
– AFP response to photo –
Eric Baradat, AFP’s deputy news director for photos, said AFP’s photo editors in London consulted with counterparts at other news organizations on Sunday about the changes to the photo.
He said they believed the changes “violated professional ethical standards.”
“As a result, they collectively agreed to remove the photo from their distribution platforms,” Barada added.
“From the outset, AFP appropriately noted that it was distributing photos provided by third-party agencies.
“AFP felt compelled to remove this photo to maintain the trust of its subscribers and maintain transparency with the public, especially in a society where images are doctored.”
Keen photographer Kate took several official portraits of her family, which were distributed to the media by the palace.
“Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally try to edit,” she said on Monday after multiple “death” notifications further fueled speculation about her health and whereabouts.
“I would like to apologize for any confusion caused by the family photos we shared yesterday,” she added in a statement.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
