Princess Kate's Mother's Day 'obviously ruined' by photo row, expert says

Jennie Bond suggests public 'in danger of bullying' Kate Middleton

Princess Kate's Mother's Day would have been ruined by the row over an edited photo of the royal and her children, a leading royal expert has said.

Jennie Bond warned the Princess of Wales shouldn't be "bullied" and recommended Buckingham Palace release a video explaining the editing of the photo.

She told GB News: "I do think we are in danger of bullying a lady whose trying to recover from a very serious operation."

The BBC's former royal correspondent added: "Think about how she must be feeling - absolutely miserable I think - her Mother's Day was obviously ruined by this row.

"She must be under intense pressure now whenever she's going to be seen in the public... I think she's in a fragile mental and physical state and we should lay off her."

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There's a 'danger' of Princess Kate getting bullied, Jennie Bond says (Image: Getty)

Royal biographer Tom Bower told the same channel Buckingham Palace should have protected the Princess of Wales, claiming: "They failed her."

He said: "I think she's seriously sick. She will recover but she needs time. She needs a gap from the pressure and that's what's so unfair."

The Princess of Wales shouldered the blame for the manipulated family snap released by Kensington Palace, with Kate issuing a personal apology for the "confusion".

Kate said sorry with a statement on social media which read: "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."

The photo of Kate and her children, taken by Prince William, was the first to be issued since the princess's planned abdominal surgery and was released by the Palace to mark Mother's Day.

But it was withdrawn with a "Kill" notice by international picture agencies hours later because of suspicions it had been manipulated.

Princess Kate 'must be feeling absolutely miserable' (Image: Getty)

Critics should 'lay off' Princess Kate, Jennie Bond says (Image: Getty)

Royal sources said the Princess of Wales made "minor adjustments" and that Kate and the Prince of Wales wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother's Day.

The source added: "The Wales family spent Mother's Day together and had a wonderful day."

The Palace faced growing pressure over the debacle with the controversy branded damaging to the public's trust of the Royal Family.

Concerns were raised over a missing part of Princess Charlotte's sleeve and the misaligned edge of her skirt, with further speculation surrounding the positioning of Kate's zip.

The picture was released to reassure the public amid escalating conspiracy theories online over the state of Kate's health in recent weeks, but in an extraordinary turn of events sparked what is being dubbed "Kategate" and even "Sleevegate".