King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands made a cheeky joke about Kate’s Mother’s Day photo blunder after a little girl spoke to him about his own family portrait.
During a royal engagement in Zutphen, one of the country’s oldest cities, the monarch was speaking to a crowd of schoolchildren dressed in paper crowns when a young girl told him about a photo of him with his entire family.
And the clever king laughed and said, “At least I didn’t photoshop it!” to the giggles of the audience.
It comes as William and Kate continue to face intense criticism after the princess publicly apologized and admitted to digitally editing a family portrait taken by her husband and released by Kensington Palace to mark Mother’s Day last Sunday.
On Monday, Kate publicly took the blame for the doctored family photo released by Kensington Palace, while privately apologizing for the “confusion.”
According to De Telegraaf, the king’s joke was a ‘striking moment during a working visit by King Willem-Alexander in Zutphen, where he appears to make jokes about Kate-gate’.
On Sunday, Kensington Palace published the first photo of the Princess of Wales since the operation
During a royal engagement in Zutphen, one of the country’s oldest cities, the monarch was speaking to a crowd of schoolchildren dressed in paper crowns when a young girl told him about a photo of him with his entire family
The clever king laughed and said, “At least I didn’t photoshop it!” to the giggles of the audience
William and Kate were spotted leaving Windsor for Westminster Abbey yesterday afternoon
The Dutch royal family used their dog Mambo for their Christmas photo shoot this year
Kate apologized with a statement on social media saying: ‘Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing.
“I wanted to apologize for any confusion the family photo we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone who celebrated had a happy Mother’s Day. C.’
The photo of Kate and her children, taken by William, was the first to be published since the princess’ abdominal surgery and was released by the palace to mark Mother’s Day.
It was released in part to quell conspiracy theories about Kate, who had not been seen at a royal event since Christmas Day or after her operation.
But it was withdrawn hours later with a ‘Kill’ notice by international photo agencies and on Monday by the British news agency PA, over suspicions it had been doctored.
The saga intensified speculation about Kate, her health and her whereabouts, and raised questions about whether the footage released by Kensington Palace was reliable.
Royal sources said the princess had made “minor adjustments” and that Kate and William wanted to offer an informal photo of the family together for Mother’s Day.
Kate was later seen leaving Windsor in a car with William as he was driven to the Commonwealth Day service. The princess was not present at the service, but was due to have a private appointment.
In December, Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander released their festive family portraits for 2023 – and even enlisted their dog Mambo to participate.
Part of the family! Mambo posed perfectly for a family photo next to Princess Amalia, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, Princess Ariane and Princess Alexia
The adorable white miniature poodle almost appears to be smiling with his family as they pose for portraits in front of the Christmas tree at Huis ten Bosch Palace.
In a full family photo, 20-year-old Crown Princess Amalia, the eldest of the couple’s three children, holds Mambo in her arms while wearing a scarlet wrap coat.
Another photo showed Queen Máxima crawling over the poodle and being held up by the king, who can’t stop smiling.
The shoot appeared to be held on a windy day, with the Dutch queen’s thick blonde locks blowing in the wind in some photos.
The family appeared to coordinate their looks by each choosing a winter coat from a complementary color palette – with Alexia opting for navy blue, while Ariane opted for jade green.
Meanwhile, the heir apparent, Crown Princess Amalia, looked regal in red.
The eldest of the three sisters celebrated her twentieth birthday last month and thanked royal fans for their well wishes on Instagram.
The Princess of Orange said via the account of the Netherlands Palace: ‘Thank you very much for all the congratulations I received on the occasion of my twentieth birthday.
Queen Máxima beamed as she held Mambo – as a gust of wind seemed to blow her thick blonde locks
Queen Máxima frowned at her dog as he was held up by King Willem-Alexander
With Mambo against her chest, Queen Máxima laughed as a gust of wind caught her while Ariane and Alexia styled her hair
‘All the heartwarming messages made my day even more special.’
It has been a turbulent few years for the heir to the throne, who is currently studying at university but is no longer allowed to live in a student house after possible kidnapping plans came to light.
During a Dutch royal tour of the Caribbean earlier this year, the Princess of Orange talked about missing “normal life, the life of a student” after a security threat forced her to move back to her home in The Hague just weeks ago . after she enrolled in college.
She said: ‘I’m going to be completely honest, I’m still having a really hard time.
‘I miss normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store.”
Meanwhile, she said she enjoyed having some freedom again during the international tour: “I had a great time.”
In October, the Dutch news agency ANP quoted 51-year-old Queen Maxima during a state visit to Sweden with her husband King Willem-Alexander: ‘She can hardly leave the house.
‘The consequences are very difficult for her. There is no student life for her like that of others,” she added with an unusual amount of emotional candor.
The princess’s name, along with former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, is said to have emerged in communications between organized crime groups, indicating they may have been targeted for kidnapping.
“I am very sorry for her and of course I am very concerned about it,” the prime minister said, without revealing details of the threats or security measures.