Last March, Prince William shared a photograph of the Princess of Wales with their three children for Mother's Day. A very popular photo while Kate Middleton had been absent from the media since the end of December 2023. Having undergone abdominal surgery last January, Prince George's mother had not been seen in public since, leaving rumors to accumulate from day to day. day. The photo, posted last March, added more fuel to the fire since it turned out that the photo had been retouched too muchhence pushing the AFP, but also other renowned press agencies, to take the decision to unpublish the photo of the pretty little family. The Princess of Wales then felt compelled to speak in order to make her mea culpa. “Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the photo family that we shared this Sunday. I hope everyone had a very happy Mother's Day.” she had written.
Robert Hardman, author of Charles III: New King, New Court; The Inside Story, is preparing to release an updated version of his book, on November 7, in which he makes revelations about the controversial photo, as reported by our colleagues at the magazine People . While Buckingham Palace usually refrains from commenting on books written about members of the royal family, an exception to the rule has been made. The couple's collaborators indeed confided to Robert Hardman that Mother's Day photo wasn't meant to silence rumorsbut that it was something Kate had planned to post all along even though this photo ultimately only increased the attention. The writer commented in the updated version of his book that the decision of news agencies to unpublish the photo “seemed like a strangely exaggerated answer, almost performative”. A William and Kate staffer told Robert Hardman: “Several factors were at play. Everything that was written or said about the Princess of Wales at that time was at a fever pitch and made headlines. It also spoke to the nervousness of the photography industry at regarding AI and its future. Despite everything, the reaction seemed extremely disproportionate”.
Kate Middleton faces controversy
An assistant to the princely couple also added that, for Kate Middleton, the photo was only intended to “bring a little joy to the nation”no more, no less. “It was simply a mother who decided to share a personal photo of herself and her children on the occasion of Mother's Day to bring some joy to the nation. That's all”he insisted. A few days after the photo scandal, Kate Middleton published a video message in which she revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer. “These past few months have been incredibly difficult for our entire family.”she admitted. And to specify: “My medical team therefore advised me to follow preventive chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of this treatment”. It was finally last September that the one who had started treatment in February 2024 announced that she had reached the end. The type and stage of the princess's cancer have never been revealed.
