Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo remains controversial after being pulled due to noticeable edits.

Portrait photographer Martin Bamford pointed out on X that Princess Charlotte’s wrist showed signs of Photoshop layering, calling the edits “weird.”

Kate took responsibility, posting on X: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

Kensington Palace later confirmed they would not release the original unedited version.

Major agencies, including AP, Reuters, Getty, and AFP, issued “kill notices” after determining the image had been manipulated.

The Associated Press retracted the Kensington Palace photo after detecting manipulation, specifically noting an inconsistency in Princess Charlotte’s left hand. This led to heightened scrutiny of the Palace’s credibility.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl pointed out that four major international agencies pulling a royal image is unprecedented, suggesting this could pressure Kensington Palace to be more transparent.

Phil Chetwynd, AFP’s global news director, stated that the Palace is no longer considered a fully trusted source. He emphasized that news agencies are now exercising extra caution, even with previously reliable sources.

He added that kill notices are usually reserved for sources such as North Korea.

Chetwynd compared the controversy over Kate Middleton’s edited photo to rare cases of image manipulation from North Korean or Iranian news agencies, emphasizing that distorting reality erodes public trust. He stressed that maintaining credibility is crucial, especially amid declining trust in institutions and the media.