Kate Middleton wanted to ‘own up’ to Photoshop fail, thought ‘honesty was the best policy’: She is ‘deeply upset’

Kate Middleton felt it was best for her to come clean about her major Photoshop fail “immediately” as she believed that honesty was the “best policy” in this situation, according to a royal insider.

The Princess of Wales, 42, who has been recovering from abdominal surgery behind closed doors, was forced to issue an apology after releasing a doctored family photo for UK’s Mother’s Day on Sunday.

After eagle-eyed social media users noticed a myriad of editing mishaps in the image, the mom of three reportedly felt “awful” about the backlash it has caused.

Sources close to the Princess told the Telegraph that Middleton tried making the photo “the best it could be.”

Another insider close to the Palace told the Mirror that the Princess is no doubt “deeply upset by the furor” and media frenzy the “innocent family photograph” had caused.

On Monday, the Princess was spotted leaving Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince William, just hours after her photo-related clarification.

Middleton was pictured in a black Land Rover to accompany her husband on the ride to Westminster Abbey, where the prince will attend the annual Commonwealth Day service without her.

It was the royal’s first public appearance in more than two months following her surgery, with her last appearing on Christmas Day while attending church in Sandringham.

She is not expected to return to her public duties until sometime after the Easter holiday.

Kate’s absence from the public eye had stirred up conspiracies over her health, which were only exacerbated by the release of the edited family snap.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Middleton wrote on X. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

The royal tweeted her apologies after leading photo agencies — including Reuters, the Associated Press, Getty, and AFP — all yanked the image over numerous signs it had been altered.