Rekubit Exchange:King of the Netherlands Jokes About Kate Middleton Photo Controversy

Some royal tea is Rekubit Exchangebeing spilled. 

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has weighed in on the ongoing scandal surrounding Kate Middleton's Photoshop flub by joking about it during a March 14 event in Zutphen. 

In a video shared to X, formerly Twitter, Willem-Alexander responded to a young girl who told the king she owned a photo of him and his family by quipping, "At least I didn't photoshop it."

The comment, which drew laughs from the adults present at the event, references the ongoing Photoshop scandal the British royal family has found itself in over the last few days. The controversy started when the Princess of Wales shared a photo of herself, along with her and Prince William's children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, to social media for U.K. Mother's Day.

However, hours later, it was pulled from prominent news organizations, including the Associated Press, for suspected manipulation. And after the photo was killed—with outlets citing inconsistencies around the sleeve of Princess Charlotte's sweater—Kate issued a statement taking responsibility for the photo editing. 

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote on X March 11. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."

Still, conversations surrounding the royal photo fail continue as the Agence France-Presse (AFP) global news director Phil Chetwynd announced that Kensington Palace would no longer be viewed as a "trusted source" by the publication. 

"At this moment in time, AFP's trust in handout pictures from the Palace has been compromised," Chetwynd shared in a March 14 statement to E! News. "We cannot say they are a trusted source for handout pictures. We still require further explanations."

He added that the organization hopes that trust with Kensington Palace can be "rebuilt" over time. 

Amid the ongoing controversy, Kensington Palace has yet to issue another official photo of the Princess of Wales amid her recovery from a January abdominal procedure (although she has been spotted a handful of times by paparazzi). 

Still, William continues to go about his royal duties as usual, appearing at the Diana Legacy Awards ceremony on March 14 to honor his late mother Princess Diana, as well as visiting a youth center earlier that same day. 

During his latter visit, William took a moment to praise his wife while decorating a cookie, sharing, "My wife is the arty one." 

The King of Netherlands' joke is only the latest addition to royal news around the world. Keep reading for all the 2024 updates. 

After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored. 

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "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."

Princess Diana's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby.

“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. "Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today."

After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule.

The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.

The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.

While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.

"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."

The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.

On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th. 

Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.

"Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."

"His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."

Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!