Can royals move on from Kate photo media storm?

The Princess of Wales and her family were in the middle of a royal maelstrom. What was meant to be a cosy Mother#39;s Day picture ended up being blocked by aggressive #34;kill notices from photo agencies. Undeniably, it#38;s got people talking, and the royals should be left alone. The image of Prince William and Kate Middleton is one of the most famous of all time.

The image has been re-posted thousands of times on social media since it was first posted. It has become a symbol of the power of social media to change people’s lives. People want to know why it was Catherine who was taking all the blame. But with the royals, there#39;s the additional issue of public trust.

There are editorials saying the story has gone far enough. But there are other viewpoints, including those of former Sun editor David Yelland, talking about how much more serious this could still get. The big risk, says the former tabloid editor, is if the original picture is leaked and reveals much more than a merely cosmetic tweak. Kensington Palace remains that they won#39;t be releasing the original photo, nor are there any further details of what the experiment might have altered.

It follows a very familiar media approach from the palaces regarding major stories. YouGov survey: 49% agree the right amount of information has been revealed. 20% think more should have been shared, with others uncertain. There was a brief acknowledgement on social media that Catherine had edited the picture and an apology for the confusion.

That was a big step for a senior royal. The background for this carefully-planned, spontaneous-looking family photo was Catherine#39;s long absence from public events, as she recovers from an unspecified abdominal surgery. Those paparazzi pictures were not used in the UK press, but were widely published in the United States and on social media. It#39;s also a major misunderstanding to think that the Prince and Princess of Wales are out of touch with these kinds of conversations or modern media.

They are millennial royals surrounded by smart, switched-on advisers. It#40;s a PR operation known for its slickness, not its slip-ups. It might need a self-deprecating joke to deflect certain questions and release the tension. Former palace communications head Simon Lewis says royal crises are like great big crashing waves.

You get up, you shake yourself down and then you just wonder whether another wave is coming,#34; says Mr Lewis.

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