Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has weighed in after an edited photo of the Princess of Wales and her children sparked global furore after it was recalled by multiple international photo agencies.
The Princess of Wales yesterday apologised for any "confusion" over the photo released by the royal family for Mother's Day in the UK, saying she "occasionally experiments with editing".
The image, seen partially as an attempt to reassure concerned fans and quiet wild conspiracy theories, instead looks set to further shake confidence in the information coming out of Kensington Palace.
Speaking to ABC Radio this morning, Mr Albanese described the heightened public speculation over the image as "unfortunate".
The prime minister was asked if he had ever experimented with altering a family photo.
"I think I know what you're referring to there, with the photo of the Princess of Wales,' Mr Albanese said.
"It's unfortunate that this has become a public issue. I think the real issue is everyone wishes the Princess the best of health for her recovery.
"And the photo of her delightful children, I think, was a very warm one.
"The Press Gallery have very, very good photographers... So, I rely upon their skills rather than any photoshopping by myself."
It was royal watchers and social media sleuths who first highlighted problems with the first official image released of Princess Catherine since her abdominal surgery in January, before multiple international photo agencies recalled the picture, saying it had been manipulated.
Kate addressed the uproar in a statement shared on social media last night.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she said.
"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."
The picture of Catherine, 42, with her and Prince William's three children was published on the couple's social media channels on Sunday.
It was released as conspiracy theories swirled online about her long absence, which the palace had warned about after Kate's surgery in January, and widely seen as an effective way to alleviate those concerns.
Photo agencies issue 'kill' notices
But within 12 hours, international photo agencies, which provide media outlets like Nine with images to use on websites and newspapers, started to issue "kill" notices, after initially distributing the images.
By Monday night, Getty, the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the UK's Press Association had all recalled the image.
The Associated Press noted that "at closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image".
AFP said it had withdrawn the photo due to "an editorial issue".
"It has come to light that this handout photo… issued by Kensington Palace today of the Princess of Wales and her kids had been altered and therefore it was withdrawn from AFP systems," the agency said.
How UK papers reacted to Kate's dodgy photo editing
Far from quieting rampant speculation about Kate's health, the imbroglio seems to have fanned the flames.
ITV royal editor Chris Ship wrote that Kensington Palace had set out to show the world Kate was fine but "achieved exactly the opposite".
"Because after all the rumours about Kate's health, a digitally-altered photograph was not going to make those rumours go away. In fact, they've simply grown overnight," he said.
"Now conspiracy theorists are questioning whether this was a recent or much older image of Kate and whether the palace is trying to hide something about her health.
"It all depends on how quickly, and effectively, the issues with this Mother's Day photo can be explained."
Photographer and National Union of Journalists president Natasha Hirst said it was an example of the dangers of obstructing press coverage of the royal family, and other powerful institutions.
"Privacy is important but it can and should be balanced with independent reporting and photography," she said, on X, formerly Twitter.
Later yesterday (overnight AEDT), Kate was pictured leaving Windsor with William, in the second paparazzi shot taken since her surgery.
Smiling family photo
The royals initially said the photo had been taken by Prince William "this week" but Kate's statement took responsibility for the editing errors.
A royal source said the prince and princess wanted to share an "informal" family picture taken for Mother's Day and that Kate made "minor adjustments".
Kate and Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte are all beaming out big, broad smiles in the photo.
The Princess of Wales appears to have her arms wrapped around Louis and Charlotte, with her hands nestled tightly into their waists, while George beams from behind his mother.
One of the most obvious clues to potential doctoring of the image was Princess Charlotte's left hand, specifically the way the sleeve of her cardigan clearly did not line up, but was instead blurred and pushed to the side.
Other curiosities flagged in the picture are Kate's missing wedding ring, the positioning of Prince Louis' hand and a section of the floor tiles seeming blurred.
Royal photographer and reporter Ian Lloyd said royal family photographs had been manipulated in the past, highlighting a famous example where Prince William's head was digitally swapped in from another photo at Prince Edward's 1999 wedding. But he said the withdrawal was unprecedented.
"It was always very cheerfully done and people accepted it, but clearly, somebody feels they've gone a step too far and they were withdrawn –the photographs – which is a new, a new thing that's never happened before as far as I know," he told the BBC.
Photo controversy overshadows King's speech
The furore overshadowed King Charles' first video address since he was diagnosed with cancer, delivered as part of Commonwealth Day celebrations.
Charles said he was "deeply touched" by people's concern for his health and promised to continue to serve throughout the Commonwealth "to the best of my ability".
"The Commonwealth is like the wiring of a house and its people are energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires," he said.
"Together and individually, we are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences and by offering and borrowing the myriad ways we have each tackled the challenges of our time."
The King didn't attend the service at Westminster Abbey, where the royals were represented by Queen Camilla and Prince William.
