Kate Middleton Is Being Accused of Altering Her Vogue Cover For That Post-Surgery Photo

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, StyleCaster may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Did she or didn’t she? Kate Middleton is accused of using her Vogue cover for that controversial edited photo and there’s a lot of evidence to back up the internet’s claims.

More from StyleCaster

• What King Charles Really Thinks About Those Prince William & Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories

• Kate Middleton at 'Wits End' Over Prince William & Rose Hanbury Affair Rumors

The Princess of Wales came under fire on Sunday, March 10—Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom—when she posted an Instagram photo of her and her three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—that fans immediately accused her of editing. The post was the first picture of Kate ever since her mysterious abdominal surgery in January 2024. “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C,” Kate captioned the photo, which was allegedly taken by William at their home in 2024.

After fans accused Kate of editing the photo, which included suspicious details such as Prince Louis’ missing finger, Kate admitted in a tweet that the photo was edited. “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,” Kate wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on March 11.

But what was edited exactly? Well, some fans believe that Kate used a 2016 cover of her on British Vogue for her Mother’s Day photo and the evidence is damning. Read on for an explanation of the Kate Middleton Vogue cover theory taking the internet by storm.

Kate Middleton Vogue cover photo editing theory explained

Following her photo editing drama, fans accused Kate Middleton of using her 2016 cover for British Vogue for her Mother’s Day photo. “my analysis of the kate middleton photo saga is that they took her face from the vogue cover she did years ago and edited it in,” tweeted Daily Mirror and Daily star editor Daily Naldrett. The tweet, which has been viewed more than 44 million times, included a video of Kate’s Mother’s Day photo overlaid on her Vogue cover in an attempt to show the likeness between the two pictures and prove that Kate’s Mother’s Day photo was digitally altered and not recent.

Luke Bailey, an editor at The I, debunked the theory, however, by explaining that that Vogue’s cover showe Kate in a hat with her hair swept off of her face, while hter Mother’s Day photoshowed her with no hat and her hair covering a part of her face. “clip going around that uses a fade to ‘prove’ the Kate Middleton photo is actually her Vogue cover. and there’s actually a reason you don’t use a fade to do that, because it makes images appear more similar than they are. if you take individual details – they’re a long way apart,” he tweeted.

Bailey also noted differences in Kate’s smile and eyebrows, and how her Mother’s Day photo is in a softer focus. Other Twitter users, however, believe that William, who is said to have taken Kate’s Mother’s Day photo, may have used a mode that takes multiple photos and edits them together, which would’ve explained the suspicious details in Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis’ appearances.

A source told People at the time that Kate and her family had a “wonderful” Mother’s Day despite the edited photo controversy. The family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day,” the source said, adding that William and Kate’s intention with the photo was “to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day.” The source also confirmed that William and Kate only made “minor adjustments” to the “amateur, family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales.”

A source close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also reacted to Kate’s photo editing controversy to Page Six at the time. “This isn’t a mistake Meghan would ever make,” the insider said, adding that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would “have been annihilated” if they were caught photoshopping images of themselves. The inside added, “If Harry and Meghan had ever encountered the same issue they would have been annihilated… The same rules do not apply to both couples. This isn’t a mistake that Meghan would ever make … she has a keen eye and freakish attention to detail.”

Endgame

20.99+

Buy Now at amazon

For more on the British royal family, check out Endgame by Omid Scobie. Endgame, the explosive book from longtime royal journalist Omid Scobie and author of the international blockbuster Finding Freedom, is a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy—an unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.”

Queen Elizabeth II’s death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor—and dismantled the protective shield around it. With an institution long plagued by antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world. Relying on his vast experience as a royal reporter and over a decade of conversations and interviews with current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves, Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive.

Best of StyleCaster

• The 26 Best Romantic Comedies to Watch if You Want to Know What Love Feels Like

• These ‘Bachelor’ Secrets & Rules Prove What Happens Behind the Scenes Is So Much Juicier

• BTS's 7 Members Were Discovered in the Most Unconventional Ways