Princess Catherine breaks from tradition in latest Father's Day tribute post to Prince William following doctored photo scandal

Sky News AU

12 hours ago

The Prince and Princess of Wales have released two new photos of Prince William with their three children to mark Father's Day, and royal fans quickly noticed a break from tradition.
The first photo shows the 42-year-old heir to the throne smiling proudly as he wraps his arms around Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, who are dressed in coordinating outfits.
"Happy Father's Day, Papa (before and after!) We love you! G, C & L," the caption reads, with a second black and white "after" image showing William being affectionately swarmed by his laughing children in a field of daffodils in Norfolk.
Both images were taken by British photographer and videographer Josh Shinner- a noteworthy change given that in previous years, it's typically Princess Catherine herself who captures and shares such personal family moments.
Last year's Father's Day post featured a candid beach photo taken by the Princess, again at Norfolk, near the Waleses' beloved Sandringham Estate.
A keen amateur photographer, Catherine has long been known for documenting family milestones, including birthdays and special occasions.
But this year's decision to enlist a professional follows a storm of scrutiny over the Princess' infamous 2024 Mother's Day post.
That image, which showed Catherine with her three children and was taken by Prince William, was pulled by several major photo agencies amid allegations of manipulation.
Meta also flagged the photo for its "alterations" and it remains blurred on the Walses' Instagram account.
Among the issues raised were an apparent mismatch in Princess Charlotte's sleeve cuff and a misaligned zipper on the Princess of Wales' jacket.
At the time, Catherine issued a rare personal statement acknowledging she had edited the image.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she said.
"I apologise for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
She didn't go into detail about which tools she used or what changes were made- but the controversy came during a deeply private and difficult time for the 43-year-old mother-of-three.
In January, she had undergone major abdominal surgery, and weeks after the photo blunder, she revealed in a video message that she was battling cancer.
"William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately, for the sake of our young family," Catherine said at the time.
"As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment, but most importantly, it has taken time for us to explain to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I'm going to be okay."
In September, she confirmed she had completed her chemotherapy in a heartwarming video, showing her spending time outdoors at Norfolk with William and the children.
"Despite all that has gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life," she said.