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The Princess of Wales’s uncle has described the first picture of the royal since her surgery as “beautiful” and “really genuine”. The image of Kate and her children was withdrawn by international picture agencies later the same day because of concerns that the image had been manipulated.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain about the image, Gary Goldsmith said: “The smiles on faces said it all for me, I thought it was beautiful. Obviously the family wouldn’t be the ones to do any touch-ups, so if that’s gone through some filter before it’s gone out to the broader world, but they wouldn’t be doing photoshopping themselves.
“But all I was looking at is the faces and the smiles and it just looks like a beautiful family that they are, and they look really genuine, smiles on faces. And this whole ‘sleevegate’ thing, just leave it alone.” Mr Goldsmith said he had not spoken to Kate in “maybe a year”.
Gary Goldsmith has said he took part in Celebrity Big Brother with an agenda to “try and change perceptions” and “to say who I really am”. The businessman and podcast host became the first housemate to be evicted from the show during Friday’s episode.
The Princess of Wales’s uncle told Good Morning Britain: “I’m not a celebrity, so I’m not really part of that world. I just got to have a little sneaky peek behind the scenes, and let the professionals carry on entertaining the nation. “I got the opportunity to do something which is completely left-sided, so yeah, really enjoyed it.”
Asked why he thought he was chosen for the series, he said it included the chance to “share some goss about the fam”, adding: “I think I did that with respect”. Goldsmith added: “I was kind of prepared for it, it is the one thing that would happen. I wasn’t volunteering and people were asking questions, so I was trying to be as honest and forthright as I can.”
Kensington Palace is under pressure to answer questions about whether the first picture of the Princess of Wales to be released after her surgery has been digitally altered. The image of Kate and her children, said by the palace to have been taken by the Prince of Wales , was posted on social media.
The photograph was shared with media on Sunday but it was withdrawn by international picture agencies later the same day because of concerns that the image had been manipulated. Kensington Palace has not yet commented on the concerns raised about the picture.
But without an official response from the palace, the confusion around the image is likely to fuel online conspiracy theories about Kate which have swirled on the internet since her abdominal surgery.
Royal commentator Peter Hunt said: “This is damaging for the royals. They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate.
“Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.”
The picture shows Kate sitting in a chair with her arms around Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are on either side of her, with Prince George standing behind, as all four smile at the camera. But there was speculation that edits had been made to the left sleeve of Princess Charlotte’s cardigan, and other areas of the picture also raised concerns about possible manipulation.
In the social media post, Kate thanked the public “for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months”.
A spokesperson for the PA news agency said it had not killed the picture on its service, but was seeking urgent clarification from Kensington Palace about the concerns raised about manipulation. The photo of the princess is the first released since she was admitted to the London Clinic, the private hospital where the King underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate, for a planned operation on January 16.
Charles, 75, visited his daughter-in-law’s bedside after being admitted himself on January 26, the 11th day of Kate’s stay. She was also visited by her husband, William.
Kate left the hospital on January 29, almost two weeks later, and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. Details of the princess’s condition have not been disclosed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.
The 42-year-old future queen was last pictured in public during a Christmas Day walk in Sandringham, Norfolk. Kate is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter, and William, 41, temporarily stepped back from his royal role to juggle caring for her and their children as she recovered.
He returned to royal duties in February and is expected to carry out an engagement linked to his Earthshot environmental prize on Monday, as well as accompanying the Queen at events to mark Commonwealth Day. Earlier this month the Army was forced into an embarrassing about-turn after suggesting Kate would attend Trooping the Colour on June 8.
Tickets were being sold for the event, with Kate expected to attend in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards, the regiment which is trooping its colour this year. However, it is understood the Army did not seek approval from Kensington Palace before publishing the page, and the website was subsequently updated to remove the reference to her.
