Kate Middleton’s video sharing cancer diagnosis flagged with editor’s note — here’s why
A photo faux pas has seemingly befallen Kate Middleton once again.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 42, announced she has cancer in a video statement on March 22, and Getty Images has now added an editor’s note to the clip for context.
“This Handout clip was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy,” the note reads.
The photo agency then reiterated the message to E! News, telling them in a statement on Monday that Middleton’s video “includes a standard editor’s note to handout content provided by third-party organizations.”
The video — which was shot at Windsor Castle by BBC Studios — featured the Princess of Wales sitting on a bench in front of a picturesque garden, sharing her story.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” she revealed.
“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
Middleton had been keeping a low profile since January following her abdominal procedure.
She made a low-key post on Instagram in early March when she posted a photo in honor of the United Kingdom’s Mother’s Day.
The snap was found to be heavily edited, with several photo agencies releasing a kill notification shortly after the pic was posted.
The altered photo led to the mother of three apologizing for the photoshop mistakes.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote on X at the time. “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.”
French news organization Agence France-Presse even claimed last month that Kensington Palace is no longer a “trusted source” of information after the photo scandal.
Phil Chetwynd, the global news director of AFP, appeared on BBC Radio 4’s “Media Show” and said that Middleton and husband Prince William’s office is “absolutely not” reliable.
The photo raised “major issues” and should not have been approved to use to begin with, as it “violated” the AFP’s rules, Chetwynd said.
“Like with anything, when you’re let down by a source, the bar is raised,” he explained. “We sent out notes to all our teams at the moment to be absolutely super more vigilant about the content coming across our desk — even from what we would call trusted sources.”
“To kill something on the basis of manipulation [is rare],” he went on, adding that the drastic decision is made “once a year maybe, I hope less.”