Whoopi Goldberg defends Kate Middleton over controversial Mother's Day photograph after Princess confessed she had edited the picture herself and apologized for blunders

Whoopi Goldberg urged the public to show restraint amid the rush to criticize Kate Middleton after she posted a photo that had been edited showing 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 gotta do is swipe,' Goldberg said during an appearance on The View this past Monday. 

'You know what, I have to tell you. She may be the future queen, [but] she’s still an amateur photographer. That’s what they do!,' the Oscar-winner added. 

The photo issued 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 in the week in Windsor. It was the first time since Kate was hospitalized for a routine surgery earlier this year. 

While there was no suggestion the photo was fake, new agencies across the world retracted it because closer inspection revealed the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet photo standards. 

Kate later admitted to editing the picture.

Amid the furor, the Princess later issued an extraordinary mea culpa on Twitter and Instagram, admitting she 'edited' the image - adding that she does 'occasionally experiment' as an 'amateur photographer' and apologizing for 'any confusion' the image caused.

'I'm sorry, I know very few people who don’t manipulate their own photos. I mean all you gotta do is swipe,' Goldberg said in her defense of Princess Kate on Monday 

The photo issued 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 in the week in Windsor

Charlotte's hair seems to end abruptly on her shoulder (left) on her right despite her hair on the left going on for a few inches. The corner of Charlotte's skirt (right) was pointed out as another 'editing error' by social media sleuths

It appears Charlotte's hand was copied over from another picture as there is an empty space where her sleeve should be (left). Kate's zip appears to be misaligned on the photo as the top of it is further left and appears significantly lighter than the rest of the zip (right)

After news agencies said that the photo was manipulated beyond their standards, the princess issued an apology 

Amid the controversy, Kate stepped out with her husband and headed to The Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey 

The blunder saw a raft of conspiracy theories. MailOnline earlier reported that aides are said to have spent weeks planning to release a photo of the Princess of Wales to quell vicious social media speculation about the nature of Kate's condition since her surgery in January, which has deeply upset and angered the couple.

For instance, the photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand. 

The scandal then brought with with a litany of ludicrous conspiracy theories. The princess was later seen leaving Kensington Palace with her husband. 

Goldberg's co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin was in less forgiving mood. 

'She did step in it though because there are very genuine concerns over her well being,' the former White House Director of Strategic Communications said. 

'I don’t want to speculate but when you put something out like this that doesn’t meet Reuters or the Associated Press editorial standards, it feeds fuel to this fire of conspiracies. I think — even if she’s recovering — she needs to do just a video.'

Goldberg shot back again, saying that it wasn't part of Middleton's duties to keep the public abreast of her surgery recovery. 

'I know this is going to shock you all, but I have been on the cover of magazines with no lines on my face, with my color lightened up.'

'I have seen photographs that people take and I end up with a donkey nose on my face. People can do anything they want to do with pictures — this should not be a shock,' the Ghost star said. 

The pair's other host, Ana Navarro, sought to bring an end to the discussion, by saying that it didn't deserve this much attention. 

'Listen, if manipulating pictures was a crime, the Kardashians, my best friend and I would be in jail for the rest of our lives.' 

Goldberg does not shy away from commenting on the Royal Family's antics. 

In October 2022, she blasted Meghan Markle for 'making other women feel bad' after the royal claimed her time as a 'briefcase 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, just maybe you don't want to make the other women feel bad because maybe they're not -- you know, maybe they're trying to make a living too.'

She continued: 'The objectification might be coming from you and how you felt about how these women were being portrayed,' she said.

In 2023, Goldberg questioned Markle and Prince Harry's account of being involved in a 'near catastrophic car chase' thanks to the paparazzi while on a visit to New York City. 

'If it was possible to have car chases in New York, we’d all make it to the theatre on time,' Goldberg joked. 

'I think their spokesperson referenced something you generally would reference 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 also in 2022 calling for the Royal Family to apologize for their colonial past.