Kensington Palace’s credibility questioned after Kate Middleton photo incident
The royal family is facing a crisis.
Recent events, such as photo agencies pulling a manipulated photo of Kate Middleton on March 10, have led the global news director of Agence France-Presse (AFP), Phil Chetwynd, to announce that his publication will no longer consider Kensington Palace a “trusted source.”
In a statement to E! News on March 14, Chetwynd stated, “At this moment in time, AFP’s trust in handout pictures from the [Kensington] Palace has been compromised. We cannot say they are a trusted source for handout pictures. We still require further explanations.”
Despite this, AFP will continue to use photos provided by the royal family, but with increased scrutiny and editing checks, as Chetwynd explained. He expressed hope that trust could be rebuilt over time.
Chetwynd also acknowledged the controversy surrounding the recent portrait of Middleton, shared on her and Prince William‘s official Instagram account to celebrate U.K. Mother’s Day. The photo depicted Middleton with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The agency had initially published the photo without close inspection due to their past collaboration with the palace. However, the discovery of a doctored photo being distributed to the media has led Chetwynd to reassess their relationship with the palace.