Botched royal photo throws palace into PR crisis mode

The controversy surrounding digitally altered photos hit a new high this weekend after the royal family released a doctored photo of the missing-in-action Princess of Wales. It was a PR blunder of epic proportions that created rumors instead of quelling them.

A photo should have provided reassurance about Princess Catherine’s health in the wake of her two-month absence from the public following “abdominal surgery.” But instead, the altered image kicked the rumor mill into overdrive as news outlets across the world scrambled frantically to pull the manipulated picture.