One of the world’s largest information companies does not consider Kensington Palace to be trustworthy.
The head of Agence France-Presse (AFP) announced on Tuesday that the company is reconsidering its once-cozy relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton after the couple released an edited photo of the Princess of Wales and her children, which has since was withdrawn from circulation. .
When asked on BBC Radio 4’s “Media Show” whether or not the palace could be seen as a “trustworthy source”, AFP director of global information Phil Chetwynd responded emphatically: “No, absolutely not. As with anything, as long as you are disappointed with a supply, the bar rises.”
“We’ve been sending out notes to all of our teams since then to be absolutely extra vigilant about the content that comes across our desk,” he explained to host Ros Atkins, “even from what we might call trusted sources.”
The furor began last Sunday – Mother’s Day in the UK – when William, 41, and Middleton, 42, posted on social media a photo of the princess, who has been out of the spotlight since having belly surgery in January, surrounded by her three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Practically instantly, eagle-eyed netizens noticed a series of glaring Photoshop errors.
Major companies including the Associated Press (AP), Reuters and Getty Pictures, along with AFP, then issued a rare “death announcement” to media outlets, instructing them to remove the portrait immediately.
“Looking closer, it appears the source manipulated the image,” the AP said.
Middleton issued an apology the following day.
“Like many novice photographers, I often experiment with enhancements. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photo we shared yesterday caused,” she wrote on X.
“I hope everyone celebrating had a really happy Mother’s Day. W.”
Chetwynd shared that the companies confabulated before agreeing to take down the photo and even asked Kensington Palace to provide the original, which it reportedly refused to do.
The information boss noted that it is extremely unusual for media companies to take a photo.
Royalty’s unmissable extra protection:
“Killing something based on manipulation (is rare),” he said. “(We do this) possibly annually, hopefully less. The first deaths we had were from the North Korean intelligence company or the Iranian intelligence company.
“One thing that’s really important is that you can’t distort reality for the general public. There is a question of belief. And the big issue here is trust, the lack of trust and the decline in trust of most people in institutions in general and in the media. And therefore it is extraordinarily necessary that an image should broadly signify the fact that it is seen.”
The altered image only added to the growing mystery surrounding Middleton’s health.
The palace announced earlier this year that she had undergone a “deliberate” operation but would not return to the public eye until at least April.
Since then, bizarre conspiracy theories have swirled around his absence.
The palace declined to comment further, other than to say that Middleton “is doing well.”
Meanwhile, William continued wrapping up his chores, most recently on Thursday when he was all smiles during a visit to a youth center in London.