An image taken by Kate Middleton of the late Queen Elizabeth II with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was digitally altered, according to a photo agency that examined the snap following the Princess of Wales’ Mother’s Day snafu. Middleton, 42, shot the photo in April 2022, but it wasn’t shared by Buckingham Palace until April 21, 2023 to honor the late queen who would have turned 97.
The photo showed the late monarch sitting on a couch at Balmoral Castle flanked by 10 of her heirs — although noticeably absent were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children, Archie and Lilibet. In a new editor’s note, Getty Images warned the image “has been digitally enhanced at source.” Getty flagged the image after the agency revisited photos issued by the royal family after the Mother’s Day portrait received a “kill notice.”
The Telegraph first reported numerous oddities in the image, ranging from Queen Elizabeth’s mismatched skirt to cut lines on the green couch that show where it may have been spliced together. A patch of black space can also be seen behind Prince George’s shirt where the pattern of his cousin’s dress should be.
Reps for Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Although the Princess of Wales apologized for heavily editing her family portrait on Mother’s Day, the boss of Agence France-Presse (AFP) declared that Kensington Palace was “absolutely not” a “trusted source” for information about the royal family.
The photo scandal came as conspiracy theories swirled about Middleton’s location as she hadn’t been seen nor heard from since she underwent abdominal surgery in January. On Monday, the royal couple shut down many skeptics after they were spotted shopping at a local Windsor farm stand; however, naysayers are convinced the woman seen was not, in fact, Middleton. Andy Cohen tweeted Monday night, “That ain’t Kate…”
