To not understand the fuss about this photo?

[beeonmybonnett]

Why is it all over the news about the Princess of Wales’ photograph being “manipulated “ (I assume that means it was photoshopped)

Am I missing something or have the media just lost the plot? It’s a photo? Who cares if she made some changes to it? I’m not sure how that makes our lives any different. Quite frankly, I find it absurd that this is even being given airtime when there’s much more important issues to be concerned about e.g. Gaza/Israel, Ukraine and cost of living!

@DappledThings but if this photo was edited, are all of their photos edited? Which ones are and which aren’t?

Why edit just this one? It’s an official photo of the royal family. A family that does everything with the help of a massive team of PR people and ‘men in grey’. It’s not just some happy snap. Everything they do is living history. They know this!

you don’t seem to understand that the 5 agencies that issued kill notices don’t all have the same requirements

Getty for example only issue kill notices for manipulated images, specifically using generative AI.

Those same agencies published the last proper picture of the Queen before her passing which was very heavily edited.

So? I just don't ascribe any significance to haply snaps of them. If it was a photo that claimed to show one of them at an important political event they weren't actually at or something that would matter. But smiling on Mother's Day and being well enough to sit in a chair, or not isn't important.

I think it's amusing rather than sinister

There are multiple issues with that photo. Kate's head photoshopped in. Children's clothes re-coloured/altered. The background is AI generated. The original doesn't exist because it is a composite. So it is not what it says it is.

Quite possibly. Care to guess at any others? 😂

The issue is bigger than the photograph in question, it’s the intention behind releasing it. The picture was a complete fabrication, which was released with the note that it was taken recently by the PoW, to imply the posed scene with its subjects actually happened, which we now know was not the case hence the news agencies scrapping it.

This begs the question of why release a fake image if the intention was to show all was well? The image when studied reveals that the editing was not simply adjusting colouring or smoothing wrinkles, some are saying the clothing has been recoloured and that some parts may even be a collage of other images which then casts doubt onto Kates Insta story which suggested ‘C’ retouched photographs (albeit without admitting she actually touched up the one in question).

@DappledThings the point is that the public are no longer dumb enough to believe crap that they are peddled. So an ‘innocent photo’ that has clearly been photoshopped isn’t enough to convince most people that all is well with Catherine. It’s convinced you, but to a lot of other people, it’s a patronising cover up of something else.

The photo being doctored has led to speculation that she is either a) more ill than we have been led to believe or b) deceased

Why do you think it's convinced me? I never said that. She may well be far more ill than we are told. I just don't think it matters whether we know how ill or not she is.

I think it's intense nosiness barely concealed by a thin veneer of righteous indignation. People expect to know everything about everything immediately now. I don't watch news and as usual, find it all baffling. It's chip paper, as they used to say.

@DappledThings it has convinced you that there’s nothing further the public need to know.

Other people want to know more. They think it’s a cover up.

Interesting take. Not sure I needed to be convinced I didn't need to know anything more, I already didn't care.

What if she's in a coma/has a long-term degenerative illness/filling for divorce or whatever? I still don't think they are important enough that this matters. If they are covering that up then it will become more embarrassing later on but it still won't be particularly important.

@DappledThings I’m not a monarchist and agree, it doesn’t matter to me. But KM is an important person, she’s part of the monarchy and in the direct line of succession, so I can see why people are interested. Her health, death etc is important in respect to the crown. She should respect that and release honest and appropriate communications, not a photoshopped pic.

Everything she does in the public (comms etc) is a formal communication from the RF. She has a comms team, she is managed. She’s not some random mum or celebrity. In this context the photo and her clarification is most odd and a very casual dismissal of the public’s concern.

I agree that would be best practice, and I get why people are curious about her health and finding the whole photo debacle funny. Still don't think it's important per se.

Slow news day. Hacks have to write about something otherwise they'd have to find honest jobs.

Much ado about nothing.

Also remember the media absolutely hates that Kate takes her own photos. It means they make no money from distribution. If this helps steer royal PR back towards allowing press photos, the papers will be delighted.

They do already, and have done for years

There is no difference between Kate taking her own photos or the royal photographer taking photos of her, in both cases the royal family still own the images.

Yes I see. I suppose I meant that she sends out these photos in exchange for the media not printing pap shots - at least I think that’s the unspoken agreement? Pap shots sell papers so the likes of the Sun and the Mail would make more money from hassling her on the school run (as in Diana’s day) than from printing her tasteful home images.

I think you need to scratch the surface here, I don’t care about the royals’ day to day life at all but I do care that they appear to think that the people who pay for their palaces, private school fees, private medical fees and the very food on their plates are a load of cap doffing idiots who can be pacified with what was very clearly a highly doctored image. I don’t like being sold a lie/ treated like a fool.

I certainly do care if they are getting divorced because the money to pay for the lawyers as well as Kate’s settlement is also something we’ll all have to bloody pay for as well.

Catherine and William want the best of both worlds - the adoration, importance and funding of their lifestyle by being in the Royal Family but the privacy and family life from being private individuals. They can't have it both ways.
Their PR is absolutely rubbish too - can't they see that the easiest way to lay this to resr would be to produce the original photo (if they is one)?
By haughty refusing to do so, they are just fuelling even more speculation.
I am sure at the root of this is the Wales' belief thar the public have no right to know. But when the public pays for your homes, school fees, staff and holidays, there is an expectation that you will play ball too.

Reputable news agencies like Reuters and AP most definitely do not manipulate pictures, you’re confusing the tabloid gutter press with news agencies.