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Kate Middleton and Prince William Reportedly Debating Louis’ Birthday Photo After Editing Scandal
Every year, fans of Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton look forward to seeing Kensington Palace share a new photo of their youngest child, Prince Louis, in celebration of his birthday. While the photos are often taken by the Prince or Princess of Wales themselves, Kate’s recent photo editing scandal reportedly has the couple rethinking the tradition.
A source told The Sunday Times on March 16 that Kate, 42, and William, 41, are still planning to release a photo to honor Louis turning 6 years old on April 23. However, they are reportedly “undecided” on who should take the photo, debating over hiring a professional photographer or having Kate snap it as usual.
“They appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays,” the insider said of Kate and William. While “no firm decision” has been made yet on the photographer, the source said the couple hopes Louis’ birthday photo will not cause as much of a stir as Kate’s viral Mother’s Day photo.
Social media was abuzz on March 10 when a photo of Kate with her and Willam’s three kids — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — was shared on the couple’s official Instagram page in honor of U.K. Mother’s Day. The snap showed Kate sitting in a chair with her children surrounding her.
In the caption, Kate broke her silence for the first time since her January 16 abdominal surgery, writing, “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.” The caption also noted that William was the photographer behind the camera.
Many fans quickly noticed some oddities in the photo that appeared to be Photoshopped or AI-generated, including Kate’s engagement ring missing from her finger, a missing heel on one of Charlotte’s shoes and other details. The Photoshop suspicions were seemingly confirmed when multiple photo agencies issued a “kill notification” advising news outlets to stop using the snap because it had been altered.
“Clients please be advised that the following story has been killed and should no longer be used,” the notification read. “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image. No replacement photo will be sent.”
The photo is still live on Kate and William’s Instagram as of publication, but a warning tells users that it was reviewed by independent fact-checkers and determined to have been altered.
Kate issued a statement addressing the controversy on March 11.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote via Kensington Palace’s official X account. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
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