Kate Middleton

[Ausmumof3]

I’m not much of a royal watcher but the latest saga with the photo of Kate does have me really questioning what’s going on. 

https://www.9news.com.au/national/first-picture-of-princess-catherine-since-surgery-recalled-over-manipulation-claims/9144cf55-b7fd-42f0-8387-da77b7e3eb8e

I hope she’s ok and just wanting some privacy, but releasing a very questionable photo seems a bit like desperation.

 

[freesia]

40 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I’m not much of a royal watcher but the latest saga with the photo of Kate does have me really questioning what’s going on. 

https://www.9news.com.au/national/first-picture-of-princess-catherine-since-surgery-recalled-over-manipulation-claims/9144cf55-b7fd-42f0-8387-da77b7e3eb8e

I hope she’s ok and just wanting some privacy, but releasing a very questionable photo seems a bit like desperation.

 

I agree. I was blowing off the whole thing as click bait. But this is odd. However, even if she is not doing well, I think she does deserve the privacy to recover. 

[Catwoman]

Whatever is going on, I hope she is ok, or at least on the road to a complete recovery.

[Catwoman]

About the photo -- is it just my eyes playing tricks on me, or does little Louis's right hand look AI-generated (and not in a realistic way?) His fingers look very unnatural to me.

As I look at that picture, a few things look... odd. Kate's right hand is inexplicably blurry, as is the right side of her hair.

Maybe I'm just nitpicking, though. Has anyone heard specifically why the photo was pulled, other than "possible manipulation?" I don't have time to go down a rabbit trail about this, so I'm hoping someone else took one for the team! 😉 

Edited March 11 by Catwoman

[Ausmumof3]

4 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

About the photo -- is it just my eyes playing tricks on me, or does little Louis's right hand look AI-generated (and not in a realistic way?) His fingers look very unnatural to me.

As I look at that picture, a few things look... odd. Kate's right hand is inexplicably blurry, as is the right side of her hair.

Maybe I'm just nitpicking, though. Has anyone heard specifically why the photo was pulled, other than "possible manipulation?" I don't have time to go down a rabbit trail about this, so I'm hoping someone else took one for the team! 😉 

Basically what you said

AP said it didn’t meet their standards for photo editing 

People commented on the hair and hands mostly

[freesia]

Just now, Ausmumof3 said:

Basically what you said

AP said it didn’t meet their standards for photo editing 

People commented on the hair and hands mostly

Yes. Charlotte’s left hand is a bit off from her sleeve. 

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-11/princess-kate-photo-recalled-over-possible-manipulation/103571668
 

[Faith-manor]

There is something off with the photo. Louis has finger crossed, but not in the usual way of middle finger over index, and the pointer finger on that hand actually looks like the finger is amputated at the first joint. George is leaning forward with his arms around his mum, but her head is not impacted by the force of his body leaning forward. The princess is not wearing her wedding ring which seems very unusual if the point of releasing the photo is to assure the public that everything is well with the family. It appears that from the lush grass and tree leaves, the photo was taken last spring or early autumn.

I don't really follow royal news, but I have been following some of the issues with AI generated photos, and the personal woes it is causing for a lot of people. So this ended up on my radar. And of course, it might not be manipulated. I don't know that any experts have weighed in on it. I do think it is sad that the family is just not left alone. This could just be another source of frustration and pain.

Edited March 11 by Faith-manor

[Scarlett]

It is all very weird.  They said she would not return to public duties until Easter…..that is several weeks away right? So why would they put out a photoshopped image? 

[KSera]

I don’t really follow this stuff, but I’m wondering why the default assumption isn’t that the kids each looked better in a different shot, so they did head and body swaps to have the best expression on each. Having taken lots of family pictures, that would have been my first thought in a vacuum. 

[freesia]

1 minute ago, KSera said:

I don’t really follow this stuff, but I’m wondering why the default assumption isn’t that the kids each looked better in a different shot, so they did head and body swaps to have the best expression on each. Having taken lots of family pictures, that would have been my first thought in a vacuum. 

The article I read did say this is a real possibility. The issue is that there has been so many conspiracy theories and news spin and conjecture surrounding her recovery. The picture is seen as a way to calm things down by showing Kate healthy. However, it’s supposedly badly photoshopped which plays on the feelings that things aren’t as they are being portrayed (and Kate is possibly doing very badly.)

[maize]

29 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

There is something off with the photo. Louis has finger crossed, but not in the usual way of middle finger over index, and the pointer finger on that hand actually looks like the finger is amputated at the first joint. 

The finger cross actually looks completely normal to me. Little kid fingers have a ton of cartilage,  they are super flexible.  I was constantly doing weird finger crosses as a kid. It was a way to occupy myself when bored, and photoshoots are incredibly boring to a little kid.

There is definitely some photoshopping in the picture but I don't think that's part of it.

I lean towards trying-to-get-a-good-version-of-each-kid. 

[Catwoman]

54 minutes ago, freesia said:

Yes. Charlotte’s left hand is a bit off from her sleeve. 

Oh wow -- I hadn't noticed that until you mentioned it!

[Ausmumof3]

26 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

It is all very weird.  They said she would not return to public duties until Easter…..that is several weeks away right? So why would they put out a photoshopped image? 

Because there’s been a lot of chatter on social media about where she is that I’d say they’re trying to quelch 

[Faith-manor]

AI and Photoshop can produce some really bad photos. As much as they have all been photographed, one would think the family would have had something better to release that hadn't been published before. 

I get that the rag mags are always speculating about her. But they had announced she would be out of commission until Easter which is only 20 days away. Seems like releasing any photo wasn't actually necessary. I just don't get it. Wouldn't a statement like "Hey everyone, Princess Katherine is recovering nicely, and following her doctor's orders. She will follow best medical practice, and will return to public appearances only when it is deemed best. Thanks for your concern" have been a better option than a weird photo? 

As for altered photos with both Photoshop and AI, it is becoming pretty serious. It is very possible to utterly fake embarrassing and damning photos, and of course as a general rule, it is on the victim to prove the photos are faked. Even video as well. It is pretty scary in the grand scheme of things. From what Mark has said about the technology, it would be pretty easy to destroy people's lives because the tech is now so good.

 

[Catwoman]

20 minutes ago, freesia said:

The article I read did say this is a real possibility. The issue is that there has been so many conspiracy theories and news spin and conjecture surrounding her recovery. The picture is seen as a way to calm things down by showing Kate healthy. However, it’s supposedly badly photoshopped which plays on the feelings that things aren’t as they are being portrayed (and Kate is possibly doing very badly.)

Honestly, I don't care if the photo has been heavily photoshopped -- I am mainly concerned about Kate's health. 

Kate and the kids are generally very photogenic, so it doesn't seem reasonable that they would have had to combine multiple photos in order to have everyone look good. And I have to admit that I am very surprised at how sloppily the photo was edited. It's not like the family couldn't have easily had it done properly.

[Ausmumof3]

The other things people are commenting on are no rings on Kate’s hand, and the trees are green which is apparently unseasonal 

[Ausmumof3]

23 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Honestly, I don't care if the photo has been heavily photoshopped -- I am mainly concerned about Kate's health. 

Kate and the kids are generally very photogenic, so it doesn't seem reasonable that they would have had to combine multiple photos in order to have everyone look good. And I have to admit that I am very surprised at how sloppily the photo was edited. It's not like the family couldn't have easily had it done properly.

I think it’s most likely legitimate of the kids and Kate has been photoshopped in. And maybe she’s just not feeling ok to be photographed right now which is fine. I also hope she’s recovering ok. 

[gardenmom5]

I follow UK media.  The last couple weeks there has been a huge uproar from certain segments of the press to produce Kate, despite the fact it was announced she wouldn't be making any public appearances before Easter.  There have been speculations about what's wrong with her, that she's not really there, that she's seriously ill, that she's getting worse, etc.
 -specifically, there has speculation she has ulcerative colitis.   _ I personally think these talking heads need to back off and allow her to recover.  

It was bad before, but when William suddenly pulled out of his godfather's memorial service an hour before it was to begin, and he was scheduled to speak,, things really took off.  There were announcements him cancelling his appearance had nothing to do with Catherine's recovery, but those having an uproar wouldn't accept them and got louder.

that was also would have been about the time his ??? cousin's 43 yo husband's body was found (he'd shot himself.).  Don't remember the exact relationship, but they had an actual relationship that was more than just a familial connection.

then the speculation started that Charles is doing worse then claimed, and they were working on succession plans . . 

Edited March 11 by gardenmom5

[gardenmom5]

52 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

AI and Photoshop can produce some really bad photos. As much as they have all been photographed, one would think the family would have had something better to release that hadn't been published before. 

I get that the rag mags are always speculating about her. But they had announced she would be out of commission until Easter which is only 20 days away. Seems like releasing any photo wasn't actually necessary. I just don't get it. Wouldn't a statement like "Hey everyone, Princess Katherine is recovering nicely, and following her doctor's orders. She will follow best medical practice, and will return to public appearances only when it is deemed best. Thanks for your concern" have been a better option than a weird photo? 

As for altered photos with both Photoshop and AI, it is becoming pretty serious. It is very possible to utterly fake embarrassing and damning photos, and of course as a general rule, it is on the victim to prove the photos are faked. Even video as well. It is pretty scary in the grand scheme of things. From what Mark has said about the technology, it would be pretty easy to destroy people's lives because the tech is now so good.

 

probably better than a weird photo - but they were trying to quiet the baying hounds.  which have been getting louder the last few weeks.

and it's not just the tabloid rags, but more middle ground/respected outlets/sources have also started calling for "proof of life".

Edited March 11 by gardenmom5

[Pawz4me]

7 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

I don't know that any experts have weighed in on it. 

I would think the AP has an expert(s) on fake/manipulated images, or that they consulted multiple experts. I think they had to have a high degree of confidence it is manipulated before they pulled it and created a hullabaloo. They're as reputable as a news outlet gets and were put in a very tough spot. Initially they would have had no reason to suspect it was fake, given who released it. But once they figured it out . . I think it speaks to their reputation, and their confidence that it is manipulated, that they pulled it.

And it makes me sad that we've sunk to the point where even the English royal family is releasing manipulated (and apparently not just airbrushed-to-take-away-a-zit-or-under-eye-bags) images. Some paparazzi trying to make a name, or some deplorable on Xitter -- yes, we should all expect that by now. But not this.

[DawnM]

I read yesterday that the photo was indeed photoshopped and has been removed from sites where it was being used to show she is fine.   

I don't know what is going on with her other than a lot of speculation.   

[Pawz4me]

Now Catherine is saying she altered the photo herself (WaPo, gifted).

That doesn't really seem at all believable to me, but I'm not a royal follower.

Edited March 11 by Pawz4me

[Ausmumof3]

13 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Now Catherine is saying she altered the photo herself (WaPo, gifted).

That doesn't really seem at all believable to me, but I'm not a royal follower.

I must admit if she did she’s probably having a bit of a chuckle over how much drama her photoshopping experimentation caused 

if she didn’t whoever posted that is really desperate 

[Katy]

I think it’s possible she altered it herself, she’s been an amateur photographer for long enough that it would be natural to want to learn photoshop now. But your first attempts at photoshop are bad. 

If the pictures of her in the car are real, her face is rounder. With the prior weight loss and long recovery time, that points to Chron’s disease. I can understand why that could be embarrassing and she would want to be private. But I think at this point it would be better to simply say the diagnosis than try to hide. Plenty of celebrities have dealt with autoimmune disease and had to go to events with a moon face. I’ve rarely heard anyone comment after the explanation. Then again, the truth might mess with the fairy tale they always want to put out. 

[HomeAgain]

I'll give a pass to the little one's hand.  Children are weird, and I can take a picture of my fingers right now looking like that.

But Charlotte's hand....and the gap between her arm and body showing...more than Kate's sleeve?  That's weird, man.

[TravelingChris]

12 minutes ago, Katy said:

I think it’s possible she altered it herself, she’s been an amateur photographer for long enough that it would be natural to want to learn photoshop now. But your first attempts at photoshop are bad. 

If the pictures of her in the car are real, her face is rounder. With the prior weight loss and long recovery time, that points to Chron’s disease. I can understand why that could be embarrassing and she would want to be private. But I think at this point it would be better to simply say the diagnosis than try to hide. Plenty of celebrities have dealt with autoimmune disease and had to go to events with a moon face. I’ve rarely heard anyone comment after the explanation. Then again, the truth might mess with the fairy tale they always want to put out. 

Or Ulcerative Colitis.  

But if she does have an autoimmune disease, better they get it out there sooner than later.  It can help people and relieve the stress of her performing so much even when she is back to duty.  I think the hardest thing to o with autoimmune diseases that are chronic (a few are temporary), is to learn the lesson of pacing your life.  Too much activity leads to worse outcomes.

[Harriet Vane]

36 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Now Catherine is saying she altered the photo herself (WaPo, gifted).

That doesn't really seem at all believable to me, but I'm not a royal follower.

I do find it believable. She has had a love of photography for a long time and has released photos she took herself in the past. It’s plausible to me that she edited, that she overestimated her skill level, and that the people around her didn’t push back about the release.

[Annie G]

I can believe she edited it, but did she edit the grass and leaves also?  It reads more like an early fall photo than an early spring one.

[Innisfree]

32 minutes ago, Annie G said:

I can believe she edited it, but did she edit the grass and leaves also?  It reads more like an early fall photo than an early spring one.

Entirely possible that the landscape was edited, but also possible that the photo was taken in a sheltered microclimate that genuinely has some greenery already. That can make a huge difference in when plants start growing.

Actually… I just went and scrolled through my Mastodon timeline, where I follow a bunch of gardeners and farmers. Pretty quickly found a picture of a green field in Cumbria (a good bit north of London), and a reference to trees beginning to leaf out. The last (only) time I tried to quote Mastodon here didn’t work well, so I’m not doing that, but I think the grass and tree in Kate’s picture could be genuinely green.

Edited March 11 by Innisfree

[Faith-manor]

Okay, this new revelation is just bizarre to me! My impression of the British royal family, admittedly from the perspective of being American, is that they basically can't even admit to sneezing without a script. (Obviously an exaggeration but you get my point.) But it was so all fired important to release a Mother's Day photo that the bright idea was to have an amateur alter a photograph and release it? What? This makes no sense. If it was so ridiculously important to release a holiday photo and show her off as being healthy, then why didn't they bring in a photographer, prop her up on some couch cushions, set the kids around her, and everyone say "cheese"? Seriously, even Prince William could have done a better point and shoot candid photo and averted this crazy mess.

I just don't get it. It seems like if ending speculation was the objective, this made it worse and was an easily foreseen outcome. And they are letting her take the wrap which I also find odd. One would think that to preserve family dignity, they would have found a staff flunky to make the fall guy. Isn't that normally how it is done?

Oh well. I really wish that they didn't feel ANY pressure to release information, photos, anything. Good grief. She had surgery, and anyone with a brain knows that a two week hospitalization and a pre-emptive " She is going to be out of commission for 2-3 months " statement means it was serious, and she needs time to recover. Even my niece needed 6-8 weeks to be recovered from her very infected gall bladder removal. It seems insane to me that there was any need to release a statement or a photo.

Edited March 11 by Faith-manor

[Annie G]

1 hour ago, Innisfree said:

Entirely possible that the landscape was edited, but also possible that the photo was taken in a sheltered microclimate that genuinely has some greenery already. That can make a huge difference in when plants start growing.

Actually… I just went and scrolled through my Mastodon timeline, where I follow a bunch of gardeners and farmers. Pretty quickly found a picture of a green field in Cumbria (a good bit north of London), and a reference to trees beginning to leaf out. The last (only) time I tried to quote Mastodon here didn’t work well, so I’m not doing that, but I think the grass and tree in Kate’s picture could be genuinely green.

Thanks for that info! I live in Georgia and the leaves are just starting to come out in my area so I assumed (incorrectly) that the  climate there was weeks behind us. 

Edited March 11 by Annie G

[KSera]

I feel bad that a mom who has a photography hobby can’t take a picture of herself and kids and do some editing (this is not crazy editing—photographer moms have been editing pictures of their kids like this since mine were babies. It has mistakes, yes, but were this a “regular” person, it would not be weird for them to have made edits like this and posted it on Instagram to show off their kids). I know this is all considered very different because royal family and all, but it seems hugely blown out of proportion and I feel badly for Kate. She was probably proud of that picture and now likely feels embarrassed. 

[gardenmom5]

wrong thread . . .

moving on

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

Now Catherine is saying she altered the photo herself (WaPo, gifted).

That doesn't really seem at all believable to me, but I'm not a royal follower.

She's an art history major, and has done a lot of photography.  many of the released photos of her family/children were taken by herself.  She did an exhibition of photos she did on holocaust survivors a year or two ago.  she probably has more experience with photoshop than people think.

Edited March 11 by gardenmom5

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Innisfree said:

Entirely possible that the landscape was edited, but also possible that the photo was taken in a sheltered microclimate that genuinely has some greenery already. That can make a huge difference in when plants start growing.

Actually… I just went and scrolled through my Mastodon timeline, where I follow a bunch of gardeners and farmers. Pretty quickly found a picture of a green field in Cumbria (a good bit north of London), and a reference to trees beginning to leaf out. The last (only) time I tried to quote Mastodon here didn’t work well, so I’m not doing that, but I think the grass and tree in Kate’s picture could be genuinely green.

London has a very warm microclimate due to its size. I would expect spring to come very early.  ETA and the grass is green year round.

Edited March 11 by Laura Corin

[gardenmom5]

10 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

London has a very warm microclimate due to its size. I would expect spring to come very early.  ETA and the grass is green year round.

I'm from an area of the PNW that is considered similar growing conditions to southern England by gardeners.  

I spent much of last winter in Texas.  the grass was brown because it was "winter".  it was . . weird. very different to what I'm used to.  I'm used to the grass being green all winter.  And lots of green vegetation - only thing that isn't are deciduous trees.  There are a lot of things besides conifers that are green year round.

[Faith-manor]

53 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

London has a very warm microclimate due to its size. I would expect spring to come very early.  ETA and the grass is green year round.

That makes sense. I thought she was recovering in one of their not in London castle/palace/houses. I can totally Ser things being green in London.

I sure wish that they didn't need to make any kind of statements or release photos or anything. 

[SHP]

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

wrong thread . . .

moving on

 

 

 

She's an art history major, and has done a lot of photography.  many of the released photos of her family/children were taken by herself.  She did an exhibition of photos she did on holocaust survivors a year or two ago.  she probably has more experience with photoshop than people think.

This right here. While film is making a comeback and there is a push for straigh out of camera (SOOC), knowing PS and LRc or a comparable program is vital to digital photography. Head swapping is one of the early skills taught and this just looks bad. It may have been her, but this poor quality job makes me wonder about her health more than a picture of her with three kids being goofy kids would.

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

She's an art history major, and has done a lot of photography.  many of the released photos of her family/children were taken by herself.  She did an exhibition of photos she did on holocaust survivors a year or two ago.  she probably has more experience with photoshop than people think.

But that sort of makes it seem even weirder, doesn't it? I'd think if she's experienced at editing, and since it was her own picture she would have been picky about getting it right.

[gardenmom5]

6 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

But that sort of makes it seem even weirder, doesn't it? I'd think if she's experienced at editing, and since it was her own picture she would have been picky about getting it right.

I think she shouldn't have felt the pressure to even release a picture.

There is a picture of her today, as a passenger in a car heading to a private (probably medical) appointment.

[Laura Corin]

51 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

That makes sense. I thought she was recovering in one of their not in London castle/palace/houses. I can totally Ser things being green in London.

I sure wish that they didn't need to make any kind of statements or release photos or anything. 

I think she's in Windsor, isn't she? Which is essentially part of the London basin.  The high there this week is 15 degrees C, which is definitely spring temperatures in the UK.

[mommyoffive]

She has been spotted.

https://people.com/kate-middleton-leaves-windsor-prince-william-private-appointment-hours-after-mothers-day-photo-apology-8607277?hid=e29223e5c3eddfd4a2c8c0f58b17511036c2d98c&did=12246420-20240311&utm_campaign=ppl-nonewsubs_relationship-builder&utm_source=ppl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=031124&lctg=e29223e5c3eddfd4a2c8c0f58b17511036c2d98c

[freesia]

Ds was in London last week and his pictures had flowering trees and green grass. 

[maize]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

That makes sense. I thought she was recovering in one of their not in London castle/palace/houses. I can totally Ser things being green in London.

I sure wish that they didn't need to make any kind of statements or release photos or anything. 

My daughter is in Dortmund, Germany and the grass is emerald green in all her recent photos. Lots of other signs of spring too, including daffodils and ducklings and trees budding out.

Edited March 11 by maize

[wendyroo]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

But that sort of makes it seem even weirder, doesn't it? I'd think if she's experienced at editing, and since it was her own picture she would have been picky about getting it right.

If she has even a little bit of editing experience, and if her goal (or someone's goal) was to manipulate the photo to show a narrative that is not true, then by golly I would not have chosen that background or pose.

Literally every element in that photo would make undetected editing harder. The reflective panes of glass, the geometric tiles, the foliage in the background, and all the overlapping hair and limbs and clothing.

If their goal was nefarious manipulation, wouldn't they have found a solider, more neutral background and a pose that didn't have everyone draped all over each other?

[Heartstrings]

Just gonna drop this little gem here….🤣

 

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLLM9uSj/

Edited March 12 by Heartstrings

[Starr]

I’m seeing memes of them lifted from the photo and floating in air or in different backgrounds. I’m sure this is not their plan. But have some fun until it blows over. 

[Scarlett]

Something so weird is going on.  Or maybe I just got on the KM conspiracy side of TT.  

[Heartstrings]

11 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Something so weird is going on.  Or maybe I just got on the KM conspiracy side of TT.  

I ended up there too.   Some of the conspiracies are a bit crazy.   She’s in a coma, Will killed her, Will beat her into a coma, this is how they are previewing a divorce, she’s growing out bangs or a bad perm.  
 

Or a woman whose appearance gets scrutinized to the nth degree wants to recover in peace, outside of the eye of bored tabloids.  

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Heartstrings said:

I ended up there too.   Some of the conspiracies are a bit crazy.   She’s in a coma, Will killed her, Will beat her into a coma, this is how they are previewing a divorce, she’s growing out bangs or a bad perm.  
 

Or a woman whose appearance gets scrutinized to the nth degree wants to recover in peace, outside of the eye of bored tabloids.  

The thing that has my interest is the ambulance that  came on Dec 28, to where KM and William were celebrating  Christmas. The ambulance and other vehicles proceeded to the hospital.