Kensington Palace Is No Longer a “Trusted Source” After Kate Middleton Edited Photo, AFP Says

The royal family is on thin ice. 

In light of photo agencies pulling a photo of Kate Middleton on March 10 for being "manipulated," the global news director of Agence France-Presse (AFP) Phil Chetwynd revealed that his publication will no longer view Kensington Palace as a "trusted source."

"At this moment in time, AFP's trust in handout pictures from the [Kensington] Palace has been compromised," Chetwynd shared in a March 14 statement to E! News. "We cannot say they are a trusted source for handout pictures. We still require further explanations."

But that's not to say the agency will no longer use photos provided by the family. As Chetwynd explained, it simply means the submissions will "be subject to heightened scrutiny and editing checks."

He added, "We would hope we could rebuild this trust over time."

Chetwynd went on to admit that the portrait of Middleton—which was posted to her and husband Prince Williams' official Instagram account in honor of U.K. Mother's Day and featured the Princess of Wales with kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5—was originally published without close inspection because the agency had worked with palace for years and "never had issues before." However, realizing the palace had distributed a "doctored photo available for distribution to the world's media" has made Chetwynd re-evaluate the relationship.  

"When a source lets you down, it would be normal journalistic practice to be skeptical about future interactions," he shared. "I think it is fair to say that any handout images we receive from the Palace in the future will be treated with extreme prudence."

As for Middleton, the 42-year-old—who has not made a formal public appearance since undergoing abdominal surgery in January—did not remain quiet following the Photoshop controversy. One day after it was pulled from agencies, Kensington Palace released her explanation as to why the snapshot was altered. 

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," read a March 11 message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "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."

E! News reached out to Kensington Palace for additional comment but has not heard back. 

Keep reading to catch up on news from royal families across the world. 

After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored. 

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "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."

Princess Diana's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby.

“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. "Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today."

After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule.

The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.

The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.

While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.

"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."

The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.

On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th. 

Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.

"Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."

"His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."

Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!

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