Ouch! King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands appeared to mock Princess Kate Middleton‘s photo editing controversy while posing with children during a royal engagement.
Willem, 56, was greeting the youngsters in a video posted to X on Tuesday, March 12, in Zutphen, when a child mentioned a photo of the king and his family, to which he replied in Dutch, “At least I didn’t Photoshop it,” according to The Independent and The Telegraph.
Kate’s photo scandal began after she posted a portrait with her three children on Sunday, March 10, in a U.K. Mother’s Day tribute via social media. The family picture was taken by her husband, Prince William, and showed the Princess of Wales seated in a chair at their Adelaide Cottage home surrounded by Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C,” the caption read.
It was the first photo released of Kate, 42, following her abdominal surgery on January 16. She was hospitalized for two weeks and has been recuperating at home since then. While it was announced when she underwent the procedure that she would not be returning to royal duties until after Easter, wild conspiracy photos began to arise about Kate’ condition and whereabouts after her long absence from the public eye.
In the family photo, questions were raised about if it had been edited, as there appeared to be some inconsistencies within the snapshot around Charlotte’s hair and sweater. Others speculated Kate’s face may have been altered.
Various news outlets and photo agencies received a “kill notification” to remove the image, in a highly unusual move. “Clients please be advised that the following story has been killed and should no longer be used,” the message said. “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image. No replacement photo will be sent.” The photo remains up on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram page, although it has been tagged as an “altered photo” by the service.
On Monday, March 11, Kate admitted to making tweaks to the picture. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate wrote via the official Kensington Palace X account. “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.”
King Willem-Alexander likely meant no ill will toward the Prince and Princess of Wales despite his Photoshop comment, as the two royal houses enjoy a close relationship.
The king and his wife, Queen Maxima, were hosted at a Buckingham Palace State Dinner October 2018, attended by William, 41, and Kate. The two couples attended England’s Royal Ascot together in June 2019. Kate even had a one-on-one meeting with Willem-Alexander during a 2016 visit to The Hague, where the two posed for friendly photos.
