Prince William, Kate Middleton break silence on photo scandal: 'astonished'

Prince William and Kate Middleton finally shared their feelings over the controversy about the Princess's Mother's Day photo. 

According to Daily Mail, the updated version of Robert Hardman’s book Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story revealed that a close aide of the Prince and Princess of Wales shared that the royal couple was 'astonished' over the backlash. 

For the unversed, Catherine was made to the headlines after she shared an adorable photo, featuring herself and her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to mark Mother's Day.

Notably, it was Kate's first public appearance after her serious abdominal surgery in January 2024.

However, as the picture went viral, several international photographic agencies including AFP, Associated Press, Getty and Reuters issued a "kill notice," citing that the photo was digitally altered. 

Robert claimed that a member of the royal couple's staff shared, "There were several factors. Anything written or said about the Princess of Wales at that point was at fever pitch and front page news."

The source shared, "It also spoke to the nervousness of the photography industry around AI and their future. Even so, the reaction seemed extremely disproportionate."

An insider said that Kate shared the photo only to bring joy to the nation during royal health woes. 

"This had just been a mother deciding to share a personal picture of her and her children on Mother’s Day to bring some joy to the nation. That’s all," added the source.