ITV football commentator Clive Tyldesley’s joke about the recent royal picture of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, with her children on Mother’s Day, has not gone unnoticed.
Last Sunday, Kensington Palace released a photo of Middleton with her children on social media, thanking the public for their support as she continues to recover from surgery earlier this year.
Eagle-eyed viewers quickly noticed several strange parts of the photo including blurred clothing, inconsistent backgrounds, and even signs of AI-generated images.
Just hours later, several news agencies around the world, including The Associated Press, took down the photo from their sites amid claims the photo had been manipulated.
The Palace said the photo was taken a week earlier by Prince William and Middleton released a statement later in the week to admit she had edited the photo and apologized for any confusion caused.
Kate Middleton commentary joke becomes talk of social media
The story has been the talk of the world this week as a result, and it has now managed to creep its way to the forefront of this weekend’s football action in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
During the clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City, the opening goal from City forward Ellis Simms was subject to a lengthy VAR check for a potential handball.
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As the officials deliberated over whether to award the goal, ITV football commentator Clive Tyldesley made a subtle nod towards the Royal Picture drama.
Clive Tyldesley with a Kate Middleton joke pic.twitter.com/dBYwUvnIZT
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) March 16, 2024
“What you have to take into account now with the hand is, is it photoshopped?”
The gag drew laughter from co-commentator Ally McCoist and it certainly caught the attention of fans on social media.
One fan tweeted: “Clive Tyldesley on a VAR check for handball ‘What you have to take into account now with the hand is it photoshopped?’ The best to ever do it.”
Another tweeted: “Kate Middleton catching strays in the FA cup from Clive Tyldesley,” while another added: “Clive Tyldesley with a reference to Kate Middleton’s photoshop there, very good. The best commentator about, a shame he isn’t the lead for ITV.”
Coventry stunned Wolves to become the first team to win through to the FA Cup semi-finals. Another goal from Ellis Simms and a stoppage time winner from Haji Wright sealed a 3-2 win for the Championship side against their Premier League opponents.