Last week, a photo of Kate Middleton and her children spiraled into yet another royal PR crisis after several news agencies found it had been edited. Things took a turn for the surreal when Middleton ostensibly copped to manipulating the photo herself, claiming in a statement posted to X that she does “occasionally experiment with editing.” In the wake of the incident, a royal-photography reckoning appears to be unfolding. On Monday, Getty Images revealed that a different photo — which was released by Kensington Palace in April 2023 and shows the late Queen Elizabeth with ten of her great-grandchildren — had been digitally altered. Per Getty’s caption, the image was taken at Balmoral in August 2022 and is credited to the Princess of Wales.
In a statement, a representative for Getty Images told publications that the photo agency had added an editor’s note to the image after finding it was “digitally enhanced at source.” The Telegraph pointed out six inconsistencies, including dark spots behind Prince Louis’s ear and Prince George’s collar, repetitions in Mia Tindall’s hair, and several weird lines splicing through areas of the couch and Queen Elizabeth’s plaid skirt.
So far, the palace has not commented on the latest Photoshop controversy. I imagine Middleton is typing out some clarifying posts as we speak?
