The British royal family actually wanted to calm the minds of royal fans with the photo of Princess Kate and her children George, Charlotte and Louis, but then the complete opposite happened. The 41-year-old has withdrawn from the public for weeks and is currently recovering from an operation. The recording, released on Sunday (March 10), was her first sign of life and was intended to put an end to speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding her health. But now the palace is facing a PR fiasco because, as the princess herself has admitted, the photo was heavily edited. A public apology followed. How could this happen?
Princess Kate publishes manipulated photo: “Acted too hastily”
The photo of Kate and her children was withdrawn by the photo agencies on Monday morning because there were allegations of image manipulation. However, the 41-year-old herself shared the recording publicly. Why wasn’t it checked in advance? “Of course the photos are normally discussed and checked internally, but this time they apparently acted too hastily,” says Charlotte von Oeynhausen to AZ. The pressure on Prince William’s wife is apparently so high that she felt compelled to act. “Apparently the bad rumors really affected her emotionally and she thought she would use this picture to nip the rumors in the bud.”
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But Princess Kate could have made things even worse for the British royal family. She only commented on it several hours after the photo was withdrawn. But there is a reason for that, as the royal expert makes clear. “When this PR fiasco came to light, it was clear that they had to consult internally for the first time on how best to deal with this situation. Kate and William had acted very hastily in publishing the photo – now it was a matter of how best to get out of this situation.”
PR fiasco for British royals: “Kate acted out of desperation”
Princess Kate is considered the figurehead of the royals and has not yet caused any major scandals – in contrast to other family members such as Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan or Prince Andrew. The fact that she has now made such a photo glitch could mean how much her back is currently against the wall. “As we all know, there is always a reason for everything and that’s why I think that Kate acted out of desperation when she published this photo,” Charlotte von Oeynhausen is sure. “She’s always been the strong one, a rock in the surf. The fact that she’s obviously having a hard time with this operation and suddenly there are such terrible rumors and conspiracy theories circulating around her throws her off balance. She’s just not used to it Sometimes it’s hard to sit back, relax, sometimes go into hiding and be patient…that’s hard for her.”
Will Princess Kate and Prince William’s reputation suffer?
Whether her public mistake will damage her reputation remains to be seen. But Princess Kate wouldn’t be one of the most popular royals if she didn’t enjoy the unconditional support of many fans. The royal expert emphasizes to AZ that she and Prince William will be “forgiven” for the misfire. “You have to remember that there was a reason for it after all and it’s obvious, because as rumor has it, Kate wanted to finally put an end to all the bad rumors surrounding her operation.” And when you look at the royal couple’s X account, it becomes clear that most people can understand the misstep. “There is no need for an apology,” writes one follower. Another stressed: “There was no reason for this melodrama caused by the photo.”
Princess Kate will probably think carefully about which photos she makes available to the public in the future. And the palace’s PR team will also explicitly check her and Prince William’s posts before they are made public on social media.