Kate Middleton’s manipulated photo raises concerns with ‘serious consequences’

 Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day edited photo can have serious consequences, as per royal correspondent.

The new image, released in a social media post to celebrate Mother's Day, caused controversy after royal fans spotted some editing mishaps in the photo.

Princess Charlotte's cardigan and Prince Louis's hand went viral after appearing to have been distorted in the photo's editing process.

In a statement released today by the Princess of Wales, she personally apologised for any "confusion" caused by the photo taken by Prince William, and confirmed she had edited the photo herself.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Princess confirmed: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. 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."

Reacting to the image and the speculation, former BBC Royal Correspondent Michael Cole said the scandal has "compromised the credibility" of the Royal Family.

He added that the reaction to the image's release is an "absolute fiasco" and is "not a trivial matter".

Cole told GB News: "It is a lesson in how to turn success into immediate failure. It is very serious - if you compromise truth, credibility goes with it."

Discussing the decision by four major press agencies to withdraw the image ahead of the Princess's statement, Cole explained: "They have to spot fakes because there are people out there, the warring factions, peddling propaganda.

"It's totally insane. And I'm afraid it does undercut the credibility of the Royal Family. The importance cannot be exaggerated."

Predicting the impact the image scandal will have on the Prince and Princess of Wales, Cole asserted that it is a "disaster" for the royal couple.

He noted: "This is disaster by Photoshop and it's such a big mistake by a press officer to do that. This is the age of fake news and artificial intelligence."

Meanwhile Kate ‘puts end to conspiracy theories’ as she was spotted with Prince William  departing Windsor Castle today, mere hours after issuing an apology for digitally altering a family portrait released on Mother's Day.