The Joe Biden Administration appeared to take a swipe at Princess Kate after she apologised for the “confusion” caused by the release of an altered photo on Mother’s Day.
When asked if the White House would digitally alter a photo of the “President, Vice President, First Lady or Second Gentleman, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded: “Digitally altered? Not that I know of I would say no.
“Why would we digitally alter photos? Are you talking about what’s going on in the UK?”
The response was met by laughter from journalists in the White House briefing room.
She continued: “What does the Monarch[y] have to do with us? No, that is not something that we do here.”
The Princess of Wales, apologised Monday for “confusion” sparking by her altering of a family photo released by the palace – an image of Kate and her children that was intended to calm concern and speculation about the British royal’s health but had the opposite effect.
Several news agencies that initially published the photo withdrew the image over concerns about digital manipulation. Issued by the couple’s Kensington Palace office on Sunday to mark Mother’s Day in Britain, it was the first official photo of 42-year-old Kate since she had abdominal surgery nearly two months ago.
In a post on social media, Kate said that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”
“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” the post said.
In the past, the palace has issued several of Kate’s family snapshots featuring her and heir to the throne, Prince William, with their children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
The latest photo was taken by William, Kensington Palace said. In an accompanying social media message, Kate said: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”
While there was no suggestion the photo was fake, the Associated Press retracted it because closer inspection revealed the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet the agency’s photo standards. For instance, it contained an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand with the sleeve of her sweater.
