Kate Middleton’s photo of the queen with grandchildren was manipulated
As a sequel to Princess Kate MiddletonFollowing the photo editing debacle, another portrait of the royal family has been called into question.
Getty Images released a statement on Monday, March 18, revealing that a photo shared via the official Prince and Princess of Wales Instagram account in April 2023 had been doctored. “Getty Images has reviewed the image in question and posted an editor’s note stating that the image has been digitally enhanced at the source,” an agency spokesperson said. The Telegraph.
The photo in question was on display Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by younger generations of the royal family. “Today would have been Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday,” read the caption of the April 2023 Instagram post. “This photo – which shows her with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren – was taken in Balmoral last summer .”
Kate, 42, was credited as photographer. Her three children with Prince William – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 – were among those seen in the photo with the late queen. (Prince Harry And Meghan Markle‘s two children were notably absent from the portrait.)
According to The Telegraph, there are “several inconsistencies” in the image, including part of Elizabeth’s skirt pattern not matching. The outlet revealed a total of six errors.
Getty’s statement added to the skepticism surrounding the royal family as Kate continues to recover from her abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace announced in January that Kate would remain out of the public eye until after Easter while she recovers from her “planned” surgery. Few details were given about the nature of her procedure.
Prior to her hospitalization, Kate was last seen in December 2023. Following the palace’s call for privacy, theories about Kate’s condition and her whereabouts began flooding social media. Reps for both Kate and William, 41, tried to calm the speculation.
Kate Middleton with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Prince of Wales/Kensington Palace/MEGA“Kensington Palace made the timelines of the Princess’ recovery clear in January and we would only provide important updates,” a spokesperson for Kate noted in a Feb. 29 statement. “That leadership remains in place.”
CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Princess Kate Middleton’s passion for photography began when she started taking birthday portraits for her three children. Kate shares sons Prince George and Prince Louis and daughter Princess Charlotte with her husband, Prince William. To celebrate their children’s birthdays every year, William and Kate release a new portrait. Finally Kate started […]
In a separate statement, William’s rep added that his “focus is on work and not social media.”
Although Kate has not directly addressed her condition, she has been seen several times in blurry photos. She was first seen post-operatively sitting in the passenger seat of a car with her mother, Carole Middleton, on March 4 and was photographed a week later as William left Windsor Castle. Grainy footage of the couple walking through a local farmers market was published by TMZ on Monday, with onlookers claiming the princess looked ‘happy’ and ‘relaxed’.
A family photo uploaded earlier this month in honor of Mother’s Day added further drama when several international news agencies received notices to pull the image from publication. Kate later released a statement addressing allegations that the photo had been doctored.
“Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to apologize for any confusion the family photo we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Mother’s Day,” she wrote on March 11 via X.