Whoopi Goldberg urged the public to show restraint amid the rush to criticize Kate Middleton after she posted an edited photo of her with her family on Mother’s Day.
“I’m sorry, I know very few people who don’t manipulate their own photos. I mean, all you have to do is swipe,” Goldberg said during an appearance on The View last Monday.
‘You know what, I have to tell you. She may be the future queen, (but) she is still an amateur photographer. That’s what they do!, the Oscar winner added.
The photo, posted on Sunday of Kate in a chair surrounded by her three children, was credited to her husband William, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, and was said to have been taken earlier this week in Windsor. It was the first time since Kate was admitted for routine surgery earlier this year.
Although there was no indication that the image was fake, new agencies around the world retracted it because closer inspection revealed that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet photo standards.
“Sorry, I know very few people who don’t manipulate their own photos. I mean, all you have to do is swipe,” Goldberg said in his defense of Princess Kate on Monday
The photo, posted on Sunday of Kate in a chair surrounded by her three children, was credited to her husband William, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, and was said to have been taken earlier this week in Windsor
After news agencies said the photo had been doctored beyond their standards, the princess issued an apology
For example, the image shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand. Kate later admitted to editing the photo.
Goldberg’s co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin was in a less forgiving mood.
“However, she stepped in because there are very genuine concerns about her well-being,” the former White House director of strategic communications said.
‘I don’t want to speculate, but when you publish something like this that doesn’t meet the editorial standards of Reuters or the Associated Press, it adds fuel to this fire of conspiracies. I think – even though she’s recovering – she’ll just have to make a video.’
Goldberg fired back again, saying it was not part of Middleton’s duties to keep the public informed of her recovery.
‘I know this is going to shock you all, but I’ve been on the cover of magazines with no lines on my face, with my color lightened up.’
‘I’ve seen pictures that people take and I end up with a donkey nose on my face. People can do whatever they want with pictures – this shouldn’t be a shock,” the Ghost star said.
The couple’s other host, Ana Navarro, tried to put an end to the discussion by saying it didn’t deserve that much attention.
“Listen, if photo manipulation was a crime, the Kardashians, my best friend and I would be in prison for the rest of our lives.”
Goldberg does not shy away from commenting on the antics of the royal family.
In October 2022, she blamed Meghan Markle for ‘making other women feel bad’ after the royal claimed her time as a ‘briefing girl’ on Deal or No Deal made her feel like a bimbo.
Famously liberal Goldberg said: ‘My point is, if you see it and that’s how you feel, you just might not make the other women feel bad because they might not – you know, maybe they are also trying to make a living.’
She continued: “the objectification might come from you and how you felt about how these women were portrayed,” she said.
In 2023, Goldberg questioned Markle and Prince Harry’s account of being involved in a ‘near-disastrous car chase’ thanks to the paparazzi while visiting New York City.
“If it were possible to have car chases in New York, we’d all make it to the theater on time,” Goldberg joked.
‘I think their spokesperson was referring to something you would generally refer to in Los Angeles. That’s where you have chases, that’s where you can move at high speeds,’ she added.
Goldberg has described her relationship with Prince Harry as ‘close’, while she also called in 2022 for the royal family to apologize for their colonial past.