Kate's photo scandal shows how hard it is for the monarchy to control its narrative

The scandal over Kate, Princess of Wales’ family snapshot — dubbed 'photogate' — is a new chapter in the thorny relationship between the media and the Royal Family.

The scandal over Kate, Princess of Wales' family snapshot -- dubbed "photogate" -- is a new chapter in the thorny relationship between the media and the Royal Family.

It's also a sign of how hard it is for the monarchy to control its own narrative in the social-media era.

"Social media has empowered the royals to curate their public image in new ways," royal historian Ed Owens said Tuesday.

"But they have also given over significant power to the end user. And that end user desires greater insight, greater intimate detail about what exactly has been going on behind closed doors."

The palace issued the image of Kate and her children -- Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis -- on Sunday to mark Mother's Day in Britain. A family snapshot taken, the palace said, by Prince William, it was intended to calm speculation about Kate's health, almost two months after she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition.

But within hours, The Associated Press withdrew the photo over concerns it had been digitally manipulated in a way that did not meet AP's photo standards. For instance, it contained an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand with the sleeve of her sweater. Other major agencies including Getty, Reuters, AFP and Britain's PA also retracted it.

Kate said sorry on Monday, saying that "like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing." In a statement on social media, she expressed "apologies for any confusion the family photograph" had caused.