Agence France-Presse, one of the world’s biggest news agencies, has determined Kensington Palace is not longer a “trusted source”.
The decision comes after the release of a photo of Princess Kate and her three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8 and Prince Louis, 5, on Mother’s Day, which was later determined to have been photoshopped.
AFP’s global news director, Phil Chetwynd, spoke to BBC following the fiasco stating that for many years, the major media agencies had worked with the palace, however the latest development meant AFP no longer considers them a “trusted source”. He continued to say, “Like with anything, when you’re let down by a source, the bar is raised.”
Chetwynd also revealed the moments leading up to the decision to issue a kill notice on the photo mere hours after it was first shared, confessing AFP and other major agencies had asked for the original and received no reply from the palace.
“We all sent a message saying could you give us the originals? Could you have a reply?” he said. “We didn’t get a reply, so that’s why we killed the photo,” he said.
When asked how rare it was for an agency to issue a kill notice on a photo, the global news director said: “It’s a big deal. It would be rare. We wouldn’t like to assume more than one a month, I’d say. To kill something on the basis of manipulation – once a year, maybe? I’d hope less.
“The previous kills have been from the North Korean news agency or the Iranian news agency, just to give you some background and context.”
AFP isn’t the only agency to speak out on the level of trust they now have in the palace, CNN revealed yesterday they would be reviewing all photographs handed out by Kensington Palace.
The American broadcaster said that, like most news organisations, they “regard it as unacceptable to move, change or manipulate the pixels of an image” as it would alter the reality of the situation the image is intended to document.
“CNN is now reviewing all handout photos previously provided by Kensington Palace,” it added, noting a decision on further action will be taken upon the conclusion of the investigation.
It comes amid claims from the Daily Mail that their journalists were unable to get a hold of the palace press office the night the photoshop fiasco unfolded, stating it is the “surest sign of crisis talks”.
Elsewhere, Majesty Magazine said the situation “could have been handled better”.
“An earlier response would have been beneficial”, adding, “It is interesting that no one checked the images before they went out.”
Addressing the unprecedented interest in the “mystery” of Kate’s whereabouts, Tina Brown, author of the book The Palace Papers, told CBS: “The palace did always say, ‘We’re not going to give you any health updates on [Kate’s] condition. She’s going to have this operation, and she’ll be back’.
“She is indeed [entitled to privacy] and should have it. The problem is that when you released the picture, it is a health update. The picture is a health update saying, ‘Look at me, look at us, I’m perfectly fine.’ So, of course the world descends on that picture to dissect it.”
When asked about the photoshop fiasco, Brown confessed, “It’s possible that this was a transitional bad staffing situation, where no one is really properly paying attention, but clearly the public is going to look at a hand with no wedding ring and say, ‘Where is it?’”
“I think that the wheels are coming off in terms of the sort of press situation there at the palace.”
No comment from Kensington Palace tonight after at least 3 international pictures agencies refuse to distribute this morning’s photo of Kate and her children. Some of them (@AP ) have claimed “the source [the palace] has manipulated the image”. pic.twitter.com/ppOwDtPr9P
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 10, 2024
The photo — the first official picture the public had seen of Kate and her children since Christmas Day — was first posted on March 10, UK local time, to celebrate Mother’s Day.
While intended for a wholesome occasion — and to somewhat prove the Princess was “doing well” as the palace had continuously stated since her hospitalisation, the photo came under scrutiny from fans who began pointing out discrepancies in the image. Hours after it was posted, AP issued a “kill notice”.
“At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the AP notice said. It was made clear the notice did not suggest that the picture misrepresents the princess or her children, or that she is not in as good health as she appears.
Shortly after, other major news agencies, including Getty, Reuters, AFP and the UK national agency, PA, also withdrew the photo.
The following day, the Princess made her first official statement since undergoing surgery in January, admitting to and apologising for “confusion” caused by her editing of the family photo.
“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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C”, the post said.
Kensington Palace later confirmed they would not reissue the original unedited photo.
There was been significant global interest in the Princess following her “planned abdominal surgery” in January. Despite the palace explicitly stating she would not return to public duties until after Easter, much speculation surrounding her whereabouts and health status has ensued.
Theories and gossip have ramped up recently, and while they remained isolated on social media, both UK and US media outlets have started to publish insider information that in some cases debunks and in others, supports some theories.
Some of the claims include the Princess of Wales having been placed in a “coma” following medical complications, others are speculating a divorce could be on the cards.
Read the Herald’s full timeline of Princess Kate’s surgery, Photoshop fiasco and “affair” theories here.
'We kind of had a joke – should we take him some hummus?'
