King of Netherlands Pokes Fun at Kate Middleton’s Photo Controversy

King of Netherlands Pokes Fun at Kate Middleton Photo Controversy: ‘At Least I Didn’t Photoshop It’

The Princess of Wales apologized earlier this week for "any confusion" caused by the Mother's Day photo

Updated on March 15, 2024 02:55PM EDT

King Willem-Alexander has seemingly poked fun at the controversy surrounding Kate Middleton's Mother's Day photo.

On Tuesday, the King of the Netherlands, 56, was speaking to members of the public during a royal engagement in Zutphen when he was heard making a joke about Photoshop in a video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).

A child mentioned a photo of the King with his family, to which he replied, "At least I didn't Photoshop it," according to The Independent and The Telegraph.

Controversy has been surrounding the royal family and the Princess of Wales, 42, ever since a photo showing her posing with three children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, was released to celebrate Mother's Day in the U.K. on Sunday.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the Order of the Garter service — King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and Kate Middleton pictured in 2019.
Pool/Max Mumby/Getty Images

Speculation surfaced about whether the picture had been edited due to several inconsistencies, including the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand, Prince Louis’ sweater pattern, and blurring around Kate’s hair.

Princess Kate, who has been recovering since having abdominal surgery on Jan. 16, then personally apologized in a statement shared online on Monday.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meets King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands — Kate Middleton, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands pictured in 2016.
Samir Hussein-Pool/Getty Images

"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," Kate's message read.

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visits Fitzalan High School as she celebrates the beginning of Black History Month on October 03, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales — Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images

"I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day,” she added, signing the note with a “C,” for Catherine.

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A palace insider has since downplayed the PR crisis, exclusively telling PEOPLE that the situation is a "bump in the road, it's not an earthquake."

"[Kate] has apologized and graciously so," the insider said. "She has done something that 99% of us do — and we don’t have the scrutiny that they do."

"Think of the level of scrutiny of pictures of her, as people pore over them," they added. "You’re always on display and always got to be perfect."