One year after the infamous Photoshop social media post, Kate Middleton and Prince William felt “bruised” by the incident.
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British author Robert Hardman revealed to PEOPLE that the situation was treated “like some great fraud.”
Ailsa Anderson, the former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth, also stated it was overwhelming for both Kate Middleton and Prince William.
“It was like being on a rollercoaster to them,” she said. “Undergoing chemotherapy and trying to protect your children. It was like being in the middle of a tornado and not knowing when it was going to calm down.”
In March 2024, Middleton took to the couple’s Instagram with a photo of her with their Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis to celebrate Mother’s Day. However, eagle-eyed followers noticed the image was heavily edited, sparking an uproar.
Multiple media outlets accused Kensington Palace of altering the image, leaving many to suspect something unscrupulous was going on behind the scenes.
Kate Middleton Admitted to Editing the Photo
However, not long after she posted the photo, Kate came forward and revealed that she had edited the image.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote. “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.”
Weeks after the incident, Kate Middleton revealed she had been battling cancer.
Hardman also told PEOPLE the hardest moment for Kate came around the same time as the editing drama.
“She knew she had the disease, but she couldn’t talk about it,” Hardman said. “Because she wanted to wait until the school holidays. Meanwhile, people were saying horrible things online.”
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith then said, ”They were besieged by ugly speculation and intrusion, with Kate having to make an announcement that was very worrying and uncertain.”
Since then, Princess Catherine has revealed she is now in remission.