The royal family seems to be operating under the assumption that the Kate Middleton Photoshop scandal will just go away. Unfortunately, they are being called out for their somewhat shady practices when it comes to the images they distribute even though they were given the opportunity to correct the situation.
Phil Chetwynd, the global news director of Agence France-Presse (AFP), drew a line in the sand with Kensington Palace after examining their relationship with them and the photos and information they relay to them. He told BBC Radio 4’s Media Show, via Deadline, that they were not a “trusted source,” and the doctored image raised a red flag for them. Chetwynd also accepted responsibility for AFP not vetting the image more carefully because it “violated our guidelines.”
“Like with anything, when you’re let down by a source the bar is raised … 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,” Chetwynd added. The agency, along with the Associated Press and Reuters, allowed Kensington Palace to correct the situation ahead of the “kill notice,” but they did not reply. The action is something normally reserved for a photo from the “North Korean news agency or the Iranian news agency.”
Chetwynd also issued a warning to the royal family that their way of operating with the media will not be tolerated, especially in an age where people have a heightened awareness of misinformation. “One thing that’s really important is you cannot be distorting reality for the public. There’s a question of trust,” he concluded. “And the big issue here is one of trust, and the lack of trust and the falling trust of the general public in institutions generally and in the media. And so it’s extremely important that a photo does represent broadly the reality that it’s seen in.”
The news director’s insight only highlights what Prince Harry has been telling royal fans all along: the royal family has been manipulating the media for years. “There was open willingness on both sides to trade information,” he told 60 Minutes in January 2023. “And with a family built on hierarchy, and with [Camilla] on the way to being queen consort, there was gonna be people or bodies left in the street.”
With concerns about Kate’s health and her whereabouts, the Duke of Sussex’s words feel almost ominous now. He’s spoken his truth, and now, some of the world’s most trusted news agencies are also calling the royal family out.
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