King of Netherlands Pokes Fun at Kate Middleton Photo Controversy: ‘At Least I Didn’t Photoshop It’
The Princess of Wales apologized earlier this week for "any confusion" caused by the Mother's Day photo
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Kate Middleton, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands pictured in 2016King Willem-Alexander has seemingly poked fun at the controversy surrounding Kate Middleton's Mother's Day photo.
On Tuesday, the King of the Netherlands, 56, was speaking to members of the public during a royal engagement in Zutphen when he was heard making a joke about Photoshop in a video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).
A child mentioned a photo of the King with his family, to which he replied, "At least I didn't Photoshop it," according to The Independent and The Telegraph.
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King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and Kate Middleton pictured in 2019Controversy has been surrounding the royal family and the Princess of Wales, 42, ever since a photo showing her posing with three children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, was released to celebrate Mother's Day in the U.K. on Sunday.
Speculation surfaced about whether the picture had been edited due to several inconsistencies, including the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand, Prince Louis’ sweater pattern, and blurring around Kate’s hair.
Princess Kate, who has been recovering since having abdominal surgery on Jan. 16, then personally apologized in a statement shared online on Monday.
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Prince William and Kate MiddletonRelated: Kate Middleton's Mother's Day Photo Isn't the Only Recent Family Snap Accused of Photoshop
"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," Kate's message read.
"I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day,” she added, signing the note with a “C,” for Catherine.
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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. C
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024
A palace insider has since downplayed the PR crisis, exclusively telling PEOPLE that the situation is a "bump in the road, it's not an earthquake."
"[Kate] has apologized and graciously so," the insider said. "She has done something that 99% of us do — and we don’t have the scrutiny that they do."
"Think of the level of scrutiny of pictures of her, as people pore over them," they added. "You’re always on display and always got to be perfect."
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