General News for the Wales Family 2: March 2024-

[Marengo]

Combined Arms of TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales

Welcome to Wales Family's General News Thread, Part 2

Commencing 12 March, 2024

The previous thread can be found here.

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[ACO]

This whole photo scandal and frenzy was avoidable.

The way all these news agencies have hired digital editors to explain the many ways this photo was manipulated. [.....]

Like why? They 20000% knew the first images of her would be looked over. Their comms team failed them and especially Kate with that ridiculous apology.

And don’t get me started on that very obvious car picture. The UK media made a big stink about one but posting this one all over the place,

I hope Kate is mentally and physically okay but KP team should resign.

 

[maria-olivia]

A first picture should have been a joy seing the Princess recovered well ,but it turns as a desaster. On Belgian TV yesterday and to day a whole page in my newspaper about the Photogate. They did not deserve that.

 

[Ista]

Since conspiracy theories have become such an issue on social media, information needs to have reputable sources cited before being posted. "They are saying..." is not considered a reputable source.

 

[ACO]

I agree. I should have been clearer. This is from CNN which I was reading as I made my comment.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/11/tech/photo-editing-kate-middleton/index.html

I just find the whole thing a shame especially when these news organizations now saying they will look through their old pictures to see if they were also altered.

 

[zarat]

In my opinion it was very naif from Kensington Palace to expect that the photo with recovering Princess of Wales won't be checked/scrutinised by the press. Also while I can understand the need to adjust the light on the faces or to smooth some wrinkles on the faces I don't see the necessity to correct children's pattern on the clothes or the stockings. Why not leave a photo with a freshness? Although such meticuolous editing can be a sign that Princess of Wales is recovering well if she can dedicate her time to such trivial work.
My conlusion is: when it comes to publish an official photo it's better to leave the editing to professionals.

 

[caethi]

I agree. I should have been clearer. This is from CNN which I was reading as I made my comment.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/11/tech/photo-editing-kate-middleton/index.html

I just find the whole thing a shame especially when these news organizations now saying they will look through their old pictures to see if they were also altered.

It is a shame, and it probably could have been avoided if KP had vetted the picture more carefully. That being said and in my opinion the press agencies are also responsible for inciting this PR havoc. They should have vetted the picture before redistributing it, but because they only did it after the fact, they were caught with their pants down. I also suspect that press agencies already had their noses out of joint a) because the photos were not taken by a professional and b) they don't like having their access to working royals routinely restricted. In my view they weren't inclined to be quiet about the situation. The notion of altered photos conjures up all kinds of conspiracy theories, but reasonable people understand that in an age of digital photography, "photoshopping" is ubiquitous. Further, given the culture of celebrity, (which is how the BRF is treated outside of Britain) surely most would know that the vast majority of celebrity photos are altered to improve the appearance of the subject. I understand that press agencies hold themselves to a higher standard because they want to be seen as credible, but the fact that they analyzed the photo after they distributed it demonstrates that they don't live by their own standards.

It's a tempest in a teapot, albeit a preventable one.

 

[akina21]

That being said and in my opinion the press agencies are also responsible for inciting this PR havoc. They should have vetted the picture before redistributing it, but because they only did it after the fact, they were caught with their pants down. I also suspect that press agencies already had their noses out of joint a) because the photos were not taken by a professional and b) they don't like having their access to working royals routinely restricted. In my view they weren't inclined to be quiet about the situation.

Gettyimages still has Queen Sofia's 2005 Christmas card photoshop exercise on the site.

 

[Maryrose]

I think it is also a matter of trust. When the photo agencies asked for the original photo and received no reply from KP they had to "kill" the use of the photo as there were several issues with the family picture.

I also think the point being lost here is that these photo agencies are not just for royal family photos or they are disappointed they don't have access to their private info. KP released the photo to them and so they are the ones who are responsible for this. They could have released the original photo so they could see what was manipulated exactly.

 

[soapstar]

From what I just read, KP didn’t actually release the photo to the photo agencies. The photo was uploaded to KP’s social media accounts and the media/photo agencies got the photo from there.

Kensington Palace gave just a few minutes' notice to the Press that the picture would be released on its social media platforms. It was likely designed to attract maximum engagement with their social media channels. The decision had the desired effect with more than 78 million views on X, formerly Twitter, alone. Source

 

[Durham]

I think for once red tops like:

The Sun (Lay off Kate, stop bullying over edited picture)

The Star (Soz, she admits the heinous crime of being pretty dodgy over at photo shop)

make some actual sense. Much of the media frenzy over this has been hilariously OTT & misjudged.

Entirely unscientific but the total number of family, friends & colleagues who have mentioned this to me = zilch, nada, zero.

And I have no doubt that when the princess appears in public she will be warmly received.

 

[Alison H]

It's a huge fuss about nothing. Sky News devoted the first 10 minutes of the 30 minute News at Ten programme to it yesterday. Never mind trivial matters like wars and famines!

 

[Maryrose]

My mistake. I thought if it was released to their social media first it wouldn't have been an issue since it was not sent to the photo agencies beforehand.

 

[OwlBranch]

Gosh now I lost all the things I wanted to reply to from the last thread. Ok, I don't consider any photo I see as not being photoshopped. Their wedding picture from 2011 looks wonky. Even the first picture of George taken by Michael Middleton looks strange and it's not because of the bad lighting.
I'm glad papers are finally starting to talk about how ridiculous this whole thing is. I don't care about hands, are the faces real? Are the kids real? Are the poses real? Good enough for me. If I had photography skills I would go thru every photo published by AP and Reuters that is clearly photoshopped.
If William and the palace did request that the photo of Carole and Kate in the car not be published then I theorize this hoopla is revenge for not allowing a photographer to take the photo. If it was really about "is Kate ok" then seeing 3 images of her that shows she's ok would have been the headline. But it's not about concern for Kate, it's about access, privacy, a narrative, and control.

Kate has been the public eye for more than 20 years and has genuine fans who care about her welfare. The fans agree that Kate is entitled to privacy, but the communication strategy or the lack thereof has been a disaster. Even genuine fans of Kate (not trolls) are now worried about Kate b/c the communication has been so bad! This is about the incompetence of Palace Staff (or maybe Kate&William if they insisted on this strategy). Their lack of strategy and understanding how PR works in the modern world is laughable and concerning. It is a case study of how not to communicate. Every time they try to pivot just make it worse.

Why try to supress the publication of that picture of Kate in Carole Middleton's car? Just b/c British papers don't publish, doesn't mean people can't see it. We all have smart phones and computers. This comes across as arrogant at best and shady at worst. What are they trying to hide? That Kate looks a bit puffy? It just gives fuel to conspiracy theories.

Now we have a second picture of Kate in a car. Only, she is looking away, so nobody can be sure it is Kate. All we see is brown hair and neck. If this is an "authorized" picture because it was published by British tabloids, then Kate & Willliam must have known ahead of time that a picture would be taken. Kate could not bother to look at the camera instead of a brick wall? To give a little wave to indicate she is alive? What a joke!

It is not about the photoshop itself but trying to distribute it via AP/Reuters, etc. Someone should know that this photo does not meet the standards of international photo agencies. These are journalists, not sycophants. If the palace just posted on Instagram or twitter, there won't be kill notice issued by AP, etc.

Kate's entire persona is about being perfect. Less than 8 hours after giving birth, she stood before us with perfect hair and makeup, not a thing out of place. I wish someone could tell her to relax. It is okay to look a little worse for wear, she just had major surgery! A picture like that would have elicited sympathy rather than ridicule.

 

[akina21]

A picture like that would have elicited sympathy rather than ridicule.

From normal people , sadly a lot of people are not normal .

 

[Sister Morphine]

Kate has been the public eye for more than 20 years and has genuine fans who care about her welfare. The fans agree that Kate is entitled to privacy, but the communication strategy or the lack thereof has been a disaster. Even genuine fans of Kate (not trolls) are now worried about Kate b/c the communication has been so bad! This is about the incompetence of Palace Staff (or maybe Kate&William if they insisted on this strategy). Their lack of strategy and understanding how PR works in the modern world is laughable and concerning. It is a case study of how not to communicate. Every time they try to pivot just make it worse.

For me, that's been the part that's left me scratching my head. How can you be this laughably bad at what should otherwise be a fairly easy job? It's obviously very important to them that they keep Catherine sheltered while she's recovering, and that's fine. However, the risk you run when you do that is allowing ham-fisted conspiracy theories to flourish, and then you throw in Photogate to the mix, which only makes it worse. Catherine shouldn't have taken the blame for something that wasn't her fault, though I can understand why she'd want to.

Why try to supress the publication of that picture of Kate in Carole Middleton's car? Just b/c British papers don't publish, doesn't mean people can't see it. We all have smart phones and computers. This comes across as arrogant at best and shady at worst. What are they trying to hide? That Kate looks a bit puffy? It just gives fuel to conspiracy theories.

Now we have a second picture of Kate in a car. Only, she is looking away, so nobody can be sure it is Kate. All we see is brown hair and neck. If this is an "authorized" picture because it was published by British tabloids, then Kate & Willliam must have known ahead of time that a picture would be taken. Kate could not bother to look at the camera instead of a brick wall? To give a little wave to indicate she is alive? What a joke!

I will argue that Catherine shouldn't be obligated to acknowledge photographers if she doesn't want to, but I also don't understand how one photo was totally unacceptable and the other wasn't. Neither of them was professionally taken or at least taken with her knowledge. One was taken from a distance, the other more closely, but it isn't like you can see her all that well in either one. Was the presence of William the difference-maker?

 

[SirGyamfi1]

Kate has been the public eye for more than 20 years and has genuine fans who care about her welfare. The fans agree that Kate is entitled to privacy, but the communication strategy or the lack thereof has been a disaster. Even genuine fans of Kate (not trolls) are now worried about Kate b/c the communication has been so bad! This is about the incompetence of Palace Staff (or maybe Kate&William if they insisted on this strategy). Their lack of strategy and understanding how PR works in the modern world is laughable and concerning. It is a case study of how not to communicate. Every time they try to pivot just make it worse.

Why try to supress the publication of that picture of Kate in Carole Middleton's car? Just b/c British papers don't publish, doesn't mean people can't see it. We all have smart phones and computers. This comes across as arrogant at best and shady at worst. What are they trying to hide? That Kate looks a bit puffy? It just gives fuel to conspiracy theories.

Now we have a second picture of Kate in a car. Only, she is looking away, so nobody can be sure it is Kate. All we see is brown hair and neck. If this is an "authorized" picture because it was published by British tabloids, then Kate & Willliam must have known ahead of time that a picture would be taken. Kate could not bother to look at the camera instead of a brick wall? To give a little wave to indicate she is alive? What a joke!

It is not about the photoshop itself but trying to distribute it via AP/Reuters, etc. Someone should know that this photo does not meet the standards of international photo agencies. These are journalists, not sycophants. If the palace just posted on Instagram or twitter, there won't be kill notice issued by AP, etc.

Kate's entire persona is about being perfect. Less than 8 hours after giving birth, she stood before us with perfect hair and makeup, not a thing out of place. I wish someone could tell her to relax. It is okay to look a little worse for wear, she just had major surgery! A picture like that would have elicited sympathy rather than ridicule.

I don’t think they care about journalists or sycophants and the British press are not sycophantic to them all the time. The person in the car with William was obviously Kate who else could it have been? She does not have to wave because that picture of her in the car was her going to an appointment not doing a royal engagement and there were no crowds there. KP did not suppress or ask media to publish the photo of her with mum, the photo was not authorised so British media chose not to publish them, if foreign media want to take unsolicited pictures, that’s their prerogative. She’s obviously alive.

 

[miss whirley]

gue that Catherine shouldn't be obligated to acknowledge photographers if she doesn't want to, but I also don't understand how one photo was totally unacceptable and the other wasn't. Neither of them was professionally taken or at least taken with her knowledge. One was taken from a distance, the other more closely, but it isn't like you can see her all that well in either one. Was the presence of William the difference-maker?

To me the difference is obvious. Carole is a private citizen. William is a public figure and was en route to an official event (the Commonwealth Service). Also the photo of Carole was from the front as she was driving, a potentially dangerous distraction. Where William's was of the backseat, from the side (not harassing the driver). Chalk and cheese as they say.

 

[Katymcwaity]

I can only imagine the hysteria around her first official outing when she is back from sick leave. Front page news with every aspect of her face and body analysed.

It would have always been a big event but through their own actions (or their Staff) have made it 1000 worse.

 

[tommy100]

I don't think KP would say they would be happy with either of them, but one was taken in a very different way at a very different time.
The one with her mother was taken, it is said, on the way back from the school run, the other with William was when he was on the way to an official event. The one with Carole was travelling inside a private vehicle, the one with William saw them travelling inside the car they use for official visits. The one with Carole was on the private part of the Windsor estate, the one with William on a public road out of Windsor Castle.

What would be interesting to know is why the British media all suddenly thought it was okay to publish one and not the other. I suspect the fact until that point Catherine hadn't been seen and was undertaking something one might reasonably expect privacy doing (the school run) was part of it.

I do think once Catherine is back on duty and this is all forgotten somewhat after Easter KP needs to take a long hard look at its Communication strategy. I think they need to analyse their strengths and weaknesses. On one hand I do think they should largely ignore social media rumours and the like, on the other someone needs to be keeping on top of all that crazy so decisions taken bear in mind the reaction on social media. Unfortunately we have reached a point where mainstream broadcast and print media can only ignore what is being said on social media so much and for so long. I wonder personally if that isn't why the picture has caused such a fuss because suddenly its become a gateway into reporting much of what was being said online. I think KP have made some mistakes along the way and they, William & Catherine need to really think about why and work out what that means for the future and their work going forward. The one thing they got right was actually their response to Catherine being off ill IMO.

I wondered on here when it was first said she was off if her first appearance might not be online (zoom call etc) or up and about but recorded and released after (like the visit with the children to the baby bank). I'd personally wonder about the way anything other than a "live", in person, event would go down now. I think we will maybe see her at something unannounced so they avoid too much hype. If not it will maybe be at Easter Sunday at Windsor Castle which is a more controlled environment. Whatever they do I think it will be done without too much warning so as not to cause hype.

 

[Erin9]

I agree. I should have been clearer. This is from CNN which I was reading as I made my comment.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/11/tech/photo-editing-kate-middleton/index.html

I just find the whole thing a shame especially when these news organizations now saying they will look through their old pictures to see if they were also altered.

I’m stunned that this is what journalists are doing with their time. Unbelievable. Forgot the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the Presidential election….let’s focus on analyzing the public personal photos of the British RF. I can’t even…..who decided this was a good use of time and money? Seriously. This is actually…..not that important.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

What would be interesting to know is why the British media all suddenly thought it was okay to publish one and not the other. I suspect the fact until that point Catherine hadn't been seen and was undertaking something one might reasonably expect privacy doing (the school run) was part of it.

I think all bets were off as soon as the Mother's Day photo fiasco occurred, especially as KP refused to give AP the original unedited photo, which KP should have imho.

I can only imagine the hysteria around her first official outing when she is back from sick leave. Front page news with every aspect of her face and body analysed.

It would have always been a big event but through their own actions (or their Staff) have made it 1000 worse.

Oh absolutely! They made is so much worse for them by being deceptive. Yes, I get it, it's only a photo; but releasing such a poorly edited a photo and refusing the original photo to be confirmed screams of major hypocrisy - KP/the Wales' can't accuse the media of lack of integrity and expecting them to maintain a high level of it whilst not maintaining their own.

 

[Sister Morphine]

I’m stunned that this is what journalists are doing with their time. Unbelievable. Forgot the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the Presidential election….let’s focus on analyzing the public personal photos of the British RF. I can’t even…..who decided this was a good use of time and money? Seriously. This is actually…..not that important.

CNN was taken over by right-wing hacks, so I'm not surprised. This shouldn't even be a news story in the UK, much less in the US. I doubt anyone here gives half a you-know-what. Though, it's a great example of how a "non-troversy" can still get as many clicks as an actual controversy would.

 

[duchessrachel]

I personally think that the media is using this photo to pitch a big temper tantrum. They are dying to know what kind of abdominal surgery Catherine has had, and since she and William have not revealed those personal details, the media generated these conspiracies to try and force them to share the details. Then when this picture was published, they saw it as a way to create a huge "scandal" and try to force them into a corner to where they feel it necessary to tell them everything about the surgery, recovery, etc. It is not like no one has ever published an edited picture before. When I saw that picture, I did not notice any editing because all I could see was her smiling face and those of her children. I hope Catherine and William hold firm and maintain their privacy about Catherine's surgery. I know they have to be very upset over this, but once Catherine is back to work, this will all blow over. In the meantime, I hope William and Catherine can find some peace in the midst of this media created storm. Just my humble opinion.

P.S. Oh, and Natasha Hirst's statement is over the top and downright ridiculous. She represents the media's behavior about this issue perfectly: pitching a temper tantrum because she (and the media) can't get her (their) way.

 

[HRHHermione]

think all bets were off as soon as the Mother's Day photo fiasco occurred, especially as KP refused to give AP the original unedited photo, which KP should have imho

I think I have to strongly disagree with this, if only because of the precedent it would set, that enough social media conspiracy theories and pressure will compel KP to act.

Additionally, if the original were released, hundreds of articles would be published comparing the two photos, which could put the children directly in the headlines in a way no one wants for them.

 

[MARG]

I think that is the kicker. Had they just handed over the "original" photo the storm in a teacup would have bee, figurative chip wrapper by now. Unfortunately, KP decided to produce a false image, because that is what it was, and strangely enough it is the royal fans that cried foul.

Fans that have followed every engagement there was a photo, some just because, and some because they are fashion fanatics that have, over the years, created mini archives of ensembles literally devouring every sartorial moment in Catherine's royal life. They have an encyclopedic record of every ensemble she has worn and how many times every piece is worn.

For me, I would say I am a little confused about the difference in face shape in the illicit school run photo and the Mothers Day photo. I am also a little uneasy about the lovely green trees in the background. Did Spring come early in the UK? I am no photographer and for me to spot something odd is a one in a million shot and having said that, I realise that Kensington Palace has lost something it will never regain. Trust.

Never again will distribution agencies release a photo from KP without all but X-Raying it, where before royal photographers have shut their mouth and ground their teeth at Catherine being the keeper of the lens I believe that they too will be pointing out every less that professional aspect of every "amateur" photo.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

I think I have to strongly disagree with this, if only because of the precedent it would set, that enough social media conspiracy theories and pressure will compel KP to act.

Additionally, if the original were released, hundreds of articles would be published comparing the two photos, which could put the children directly in the headlines in a way no one wants for them.

From my understanding, AP wanted the unedited photo for clarification and confirmation that the photo had not been altered beyond their acceptable levels, and as such, Kensington palace refused, thus the kill order. Their refusal, unfortunately, only proved what most people commented as soon as the photo was released; that it was manipulated and there may be more to Catherine's medical issues than what is reported. Yes, there would have been comparisons on the original, but if it were merely small and inconsequential edits, which is allowed by AP etc, then the Palace had nothing to worry about.

I would say majority of people respect that Catherine's medical information is private, and are not after any of the details on her condition. But they are public facing people, are part of a business and survival of that business is dependent on your brand. King Charles is having chemotherapy, which is grueling. He still managed a small clip of gratitude thanking those who had sent him cards and wellwishers. His PR strategy is more 2024-aligned than his Gen Y son and daughter-in-law, who believe a statement stating "Catherine is all good; move along please" will pacify the masses. Like it or not, social media is here and is a power platform; just as the introduction to radio, TV, press media etc were too and had its own issues associated with them.

 

[miss whirley]

For me, I would say I am a little confused about the difference in face shape in the illicit school run photo and the Mothers Day photo. I am also a little uneasy about the lovely green trees in the background. Did Spring come early in the UK? I am no photographer and for me to spot something odd is a one in a million shot and having said that, I realise that Kensington Palace has lost something it will never regain. Trust.

Never again will distribution agencies release a photo from KP without all but X-Raying it, where before royal photographers have shut their mouth and ground their teeth at Catherine being the keeper of the lens I believe that they too will be pointing out every less that professional aspect of every "amateur" photo.

Are you equally uneasy about the greenery in the Duke of Edinburgh's 60th birthday picture?

 

[Sunnystar]

For me, I would say I am a little confused about the difference in face shape in the illicit school run photo and the Mothers Day photo. I am also a little uneasy about the lovely green trees in the background. Did Spring come early in the UK? I am no photographer and for me to spot something odd is a one in a million shot and having said that, I realise that Kensington Palace has lost something it will never regain. Trust.

No earlier than it has here in the Pacific NW where I'm located. The tree in the background wasn't overflowing with leaves - it looked like it was just starting to leaf out.

I do think this is all a tempest in a teacup and perhaps some part of the press causing a stink because they've been iced out of any photo opportunities by the Wales' often taking their own photos for public distribution as well as the long absence of Kate from public view as she recuperates. Those factors combined with the crazy conspiracy theories floating around about Kate's health and it all happening on a Sunday which is typically a slow news day made for a perfect storm when KP released a clumsily photoshopped picture.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

Are you equally uneasy about the greenery in the Duke of Edinburgh's 60th birthday picture?

I don't get why people are focussing on the trees? Even here in Australia, we have trees with green leaves in winter. I would have thought the trees in the background are normal?