Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Winter Shoe Trends
    • Slick-Backed Buns
    • OleHenriksen
    • Holiday Candles
    • Statement Red Socks
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Royal Expert Reflects on Princess Kate's "Foolish and Unprofessional" Photo Scandal, Suggesting Intervention Would Have Made "Matters Worse"

    "They would have had sympathy for them..."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 14 September 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Kate Middleton wears a blue tweed coat dress
    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    In March 2024, Princess Kate and Prince William faced an unexpected scandal when they shared a photo on Instagram in honor of Mother's Day. It was later revealed that the picture, which showed the Princess of Wales with her three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—had been Photoshopped. Now, a royal expert has opened up about how the British government reacted to the situation, which allegedly left the royals "bruised" and "upset."

    Speaking to GB News, royal expert Valentine Low revealed how the British government probably reacted to Princess Kate's Mother's Day photo scandal. "I don't know exactly what Downing Street thought, but I suspect they would have considered the palace foolish and unprofessional," Low told the outlet.

    He continued, "At the same time, they would have had sympathy for them, and they absolutely were not going to do anything that would make matters worse. That is how I imagine the Downing Street [residence of the prime minister] view to be."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Princess Kate dressed up in suits and dresses at Trooping the Colour

    "They would have had sympathy for them."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Kate and William's photo scandal occurred at a time when the Princess of Wales had retreated from public life. Prior to announcing her cancer diagnosis, conspiracy theories festered online, and the family's altered photo only added to the supposed mystery.

    The Princess of Wales apologized for the photograph, which she claimed to have edited herself at home. "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," Kate 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."

    You may like
    • Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026 The Royal Family Is Being Targeted in Concerning AI Attacks
    • SANDRINGHAM, NORFOLK - DECEMBER 25: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) How Prince William and Princess Kate Keep Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis “Unthreatened” By The Media “Circus," According to Royal Author
    • Kate Middleton wears a giant straw hat and a green dress to attend Wimbledon in July 2026 Princess Kate "Melds More Easily" to Royal Life

    Prince William, Prince George, Princess Kate, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte leaning to the side on the balcony at Buckingham Palace

    "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," Kate wrote.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Following the incident, royal biographer Robert Hardman told People, "There was a real sense then that they felt bruised by it." He continued, "It was treated like some great fraud." Luckily, the scandal has since subsided, and Princess Kate has been welcomed back into public life with open arms.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Princess Catherine Prince Louis Prince George Princess Charlotte Prince William
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    SANDRINGHAM, NORFOLK - DECEMBER 25: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
    Royals How Prince William and Princess Kate Keep Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis “Unthreatened” By The Media “Circus," According to Royal Author
    By Christine Ross
    Princess Kate holding hands with Prince George and Prince Louis, wearing school uniforms
    Royals Princess Kate Holds a Role the Public "Wouldn't Allow" Marie Antoinette to Be
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Princess Kate wearing a tiara sitting at a banquet table
    Royals Princess Kate’s Royal Superpower Is Revealed By Body Language Expert
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Kate wearing a gray coat
    Royals Princess Kate Has Avoided One of the Great “Tragedies of Diana's Story”
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Princess Anne arrives at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
    Royals Princess Anne Sees One Thing About Royal Appearances As “Patently Absurd”
    Meghan Markle sits onstage at South by Southwest wearing a button-down shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Looks Back On U.K. Return as She Celebrates “New Adventures”
     
     
    Sarah Ferguson wearing a black veiled headband
    Royals Sarah Ferguson Makes First Public Appearance Since Epstein Scandal
    King Charles waves from the Buckingham Palace balcony while wearing a red military uniform
    Royals King Charles's Popularity Has Waned, Per New Poll
     
     
    Latest in News
    Princess Anne arrives at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
    Royals Princess Anne Sees One Thing About Royal Appearances As “Patently Absurd”
    Katie Holmes arrived at the American Ballet Theatre Fall Gala in a long-sleeve satin dress and a fringe tassel-covered black evening bag
    Celebrity Style Katie Holmes Traded a Sparkly Evening Bag for Something Even More Fun
     
     
    Meghan Markle sits onstage at South by Southwest wearing a button-down shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Looks Back On U.K. Return as She Celebrates “New Adventures”
    Sarah Ferguson wearing a black veiled headband
    Royals Sarah Ferguson Makes First Public Appearance Since Epstein Scandal
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.