“It has appeared that the image provided by Kensington Palace today (Sunday) of Kate and her children has been modified,” said AFP in a press release published on Monday March 11.
It has therefore been withdrawn from the AFP service and must no longer be used in any way.”
The press agency has in fact unpublished the family portrait shared by Kensington Palace.
We see Kate Middleton, recovering from an “abdominal surgical procedure” undergone in mid-January, posing, all smiles, surrounded by her children.
The only downside is that multiple Internet users have highlighted the retouched aspect of this photo.
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Since then, Phil Chetwynd, director of information at Agence France-Presse, declared on BBC Radio 4's “Media Show” on Tuesday March 12 that the agency no longer perceived the princely palace as a reliable source.
Host Ros Atkins asked him if Kensington Palace was trustworthy for him.
“Absolutely not,” replied Phil Chetwynd.
As always, when we are disappointed by a source, we raise the bar.
To the point that the agency's management sent "notes" to its collaborators asking them to be "much more vigilant about the content" that reaches them, even if it comes from "what we would call reliable sources ".
Read alsoPhoto of Kate Middleton manipulated: major press agencies refuse to broadcast the first official photo of the Princess of Wales
Confusion
Phil Chetwynd further confided that multiple news agencies had discussed the family portrait before agreeing to unpublish it.
They then asked Kensington Palace to provide them with the original photograph, which the palace refused.
A rare decision, he said.
“Unpublishing something based on manipulation is rare,” he continued.
We do it once a year, maybe, I hope less.
Previous depublications were made by North Korean or Iranian news agencies.”
Before adding: “What is really important is that we cannot distort reality for the public.
Its a question of confidence".
Kate Middleton herself made her mea culpa on Monday, March 11, after the controversy surrounding the retouched photo.
“Like any amateur photographer, I sometimes experiment by editing,” she wrote.
I wanted to apologize for any confusion that the family portrait we shared yesterday may have caused.”
And the princess concluded: “I hope everyone had a good Mother’s Day.”