Palace facing questions over Princess Kate photo & Rise in threats of violence
Editorial Monday 11 March 2024.
Many of Monday’s early editions lead on the first official image of the Princess of Wales following her surgery – these versions of the front pages were published before a storm blew up over the image.
Four international photo agencies have retracted a picture of the Princess of Wales and her children over concerns it has been “manipulated”.
The Palace is now facing questions over the image.
Some newspapers appear to take the image at face value – though online they point out the image had been recalled.
Palace facing questions over Princess Kate’s health
storm over manipulated image
plans to reassure public
have backfired
Royal Mother’s Day photo controversy
The Daily Mirror calls the image a Mother’s Day happy snap of Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery. The paper’s online edition reports the image has been recalled by the four agencies.
The Daily Express calls it a “charming photo” saying the image proves the Princess of Wales is on the mend.
For the Daily Telegraph, the paper focuses on the “kill notice” issued by the four international agencies – a kill notice tells papers not to use the image. The paper reports social media users had highlighted some issues with the picture including leaves on a background tree and Kate’s famous engagement ring – previously belonging to William’s mother Princess Diana – not being on her finger.
The Daily Mail says the image – which was supposed to reassure the public of the princesses’ wellbeing – may have backfired.
‘Rise in threats of violence’
Elsewhere, the papers report on various news stories.
The Times leads with new research which suggests there has been an alarming rise in threats of violence against people perceived as insulting Islam. The Independent report commissioned by the government’s counter-extremism “czar” also exposed links between activists at the forefront of protests in Britain, and an extremist radical Islamic Party in Pakistan.
The Guardian reports on the joint call for politicians not to use the issue of extremism for point-scoring.