Kate Middleton Apologizes ‘For Any Confusion’ After Her Mother’s Day Card Photoshop Fail After It Goes Viral

Kate Middleton has been out of the public eye ever since her “planned abdominal surgery” was announced by Kensington Palace in mid-January. Though updates from the royal family have assured fans that Kate is recovering well, most are still extremely concerned as her extended absence from the spotlight continues.

Which is why no one was expecting a pretty badly edited Mother’s Day card from her, or the subsequent apology that she issued after being called out by fans. Keep reading to see the photoshop mishaps and hear what the Princess of Wales’ response was.

Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day Card Photoshop Fail

Though Americans associate Mother’s Day with the spring flowers of May, the holiday is celebrated in March in the UK, which explains Kate Middleton’s Instagram post. Kate posted a photo of herself smiling, surrounded by her three children, George 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5. It looks like a wholesome picture at first glance, especially with Kate’s sweet caption: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.”

But upon closer inspection, the photo has clearly been doctored. For instance, a portion of Charlotte’s sleeve appears to be missing, and her hair seems to have an artificial pattern. Additionally, on the bottom left side of the photo, edges of the tile they’re standing on appear to be repeated.

A “mandatory kill notice” was issued by the Agence France-Presse, and the Associated Press, Reuters, and Getty images withdrew the photo as it “appeared to have been manipulated.”

Kate Middleton Apologizes For Photoshopping Mother's Day Card

After the photoshop failure went viral on social media, the Princess of Wales issued an apology on X, formerly Twitter, writing, "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."

However, this has led to many fans wondering if the picture is even real at all. The photo is the first official picture we've seen of Princess Catherine since her surgery, which has sparked many rumors of the photo being a distraction from what could potentially be a larger issue and a bigger question: where is Kate Middleton?

Mark Borhowski, a London-based public relations and crisis communications expert reported to People that the image the royal family shared didn't calm any concerns about Kate's health, "in fact, it's made it worse," he said.

"Now some people are asking if it is all generated by AI or is it a Photoshop of a photo taken. It’s not something you'd want the royal brand to be aligned with," he says. Fans are now eagerly waiting an update from the royal family on Kate Middleton's true health status.