The British Royal Family is at the centre of many controversies right now. Many posts on social media currently talk about missing Kate Middleton and photoshopped Royal Family’s photos. The ordeal started when Kensington Palace released a Mother’s Day photo of Kate Middleton with her three children.
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Soon after the picture was posted, many fans pointed out the glaring errors in the edited picture. The controversy went so out of hand that the future Queen had to come forward to provide an explanation for the picture.
Now other pictures are being put in the spotlight for the same problem...
Queen Elizabeth's photo flagged as 'edited'
It had only been a few days after the Mother’s Day photoshop scandal when agencies found more ‘digitally altered’ pictures of the Royal Family online. According to The Guardian, a second picture of the members of the Royal Family has been flagged by a global picture agency. This comes as the agency claims that the picture has been ‘digitally enhanced at source.’
Getty Images annotated this second photo which was taken at Balmoral in August 2022. The picture was released by Buckingham Palace on 21 April last year. The photo shows the late Queen with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was released to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 97th birthday.
However, Getty has questioned the authenticity of the picture. Their spokesperson said:
Getty Images has reviewed the image in question and placed an editor’s note on it, stating that the image has been digitally enhanced at source.
This particular image of Queen Elizabeth II and her family was taken weeks before she died. The picture had Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor - allegedly the Queen’s favourite grandchild - James, Earl of Wessex, the children of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Lena Tindall, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Isla Phillips.
The discrepancies in the picture included many things including a vertical line where the tartan of the late queen’s skirt does not match. The picture has a dark shadow behind Prince Louis and a similar black patch behind Prince George’s shirt collar.
Prince Archie’s christening photo flagged as ‘edited’ by agency
If that wasn’t enough controversy for the Royal Family to deal with, Getty Images flagged another picture as edited. Prince Archie’s christening photo is claimed to be digitally enhanced, reports The Sun. The official portrait was released in July 2019 and has all the significant Royal Family members in it - Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate - who was recently spotted in public with Prince William.
Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and Princess Diana's sisters also posed for the group shot. Getty has flagged the image as edited and said:
Getty Images is undertaking a review of handout images.
In accordance with its editorial policy it is placing an editor's note on images where the source has suggested they could be digitally enhanced.
The picture was taken by Chris Allerton, who has slammed the global picture agency as a ‘load of cobblers.’
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Sources Used
The Guardian: Photo of Queen Elizabeth II and family was enhanced at source, agency says
The Sun: Prince Archie’s christening snap was ‘digitally enhanced’ as picture agency flags ANOTHER royal photo
