Kate Middleton's Face Is Hidden In First Sighting After Mother's Day Photoshop Fail

The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, was spotted leaving Windsor Castle alongside her husband, Prince William, amid fan speculations about her whereabouts.

Kate's latest sighting comes a day after her Mother's Day photograph was slammed for being "photoshopped" and "manipulated."

Top photo agencies like Reuters and Getty eventually withdrew the image, prompting Kate to apologize for any "confusion" caused by her "editing."

The 42-year-old Princess of Wales and her husband, William, were both spotted riding alongside each other as they left Windsor Castle.

While the Prince was headed to Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service, Kate, on the other hand, was reportedly leaving for a "private appointment."

In the photo shared by a news outlet, William's face could be clearly seen in the vehicle as he looked downwards. However, his wife, Kate's face, was not visible due to her being photographed while looking out the car window.

Unsurprisingly, this has also raised eyebrows, with many royal fans already speculating about why Kate's face was not visible in the photos. This also adds fuel to the rumors about the princess being "frail" and "fragile" following her abdominal surgery.

Before this recent outing, Kate was spotted looking somber while riding in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by her mother, Carole Middleton. The princess had on sunglasses, and her brunette hair was worn down her shoulders as usual.

The princess' latest sighting comes after she issued an apology over her Mother's Day picture which was slammed for being "doctored" and "manipulated."

On Sunday, Kensington Palace shared an image of Kate and her three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, enveloped in a warm hug and all of them sporting a toothy grin.

The photo was accompanied by a short and simple caption to mark Mother's Day. It read: "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C."

Due to the speculations about Kate's whereabouts, the Mother's Day snap, which is her first official photo since being hospitalized in January, was meant to help quell the rumors and settle the minds of royal fans who have been worried about the princess.

Unfortunately, the opposite was the case, as the photograph has since been blasted for being Photoshopped, with top photo agencies such as AP, Reuters, and Getty even going as far as withdrawing it from all their platforms.

Kate eventually issued an apology and explanation for the questionable photo shared by Kensington Palace on Mother's Day due to the negative criticisms brought on by the image.

She wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C"

Royal fans on the social media platform quickly questioned the authenticity of the tweet, with many wondering how such a PR disaster was allowed to happen amid heightened fears about the princess' whereabouts and health.

One person wrote, "Someone in your press office/PR department needs a very constructive 1-2-1 or end-of-year review. This has, in absolutely no way whatsoever, made this bizarre situation any better."

Another said, "I am struggling to believe that the most famous royal family in the world - and the woman who would be queen - fiddled around with Photoshop and put out a family pic (designed to quash rumours about her whereabouts) without anyone in the ranks inspecting it. Nah. Not buying it."

Recently, a spokesperson for the Princess of Wales released a statement slamming the wild conspiracy theories about Kate's health and whereabouts.

The representative noted that the rumors were untrue and reiterated the palace's original announcement, which specified that Kate would not return to her royal duties until after Easter.

"Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess' recovery and we'd only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands," the statement read, per Us Weekly.

The spokesperson also emphasized that Kate is taking her time to recover post-abdominal surgery and is "doing well."

Prior to this, a royal insider addressed Kate's health following a Spanish news program journalist's report that she was in a coma as a result of surgery complications.

They said, "There is absolutely no truth to the report that Kate was in a coma. She is recovering at home."