By Sam Greenhill, Senior Reporter

Published: 7:19 PM EDT, March 19, 2024 | Updated: 8:28 PM EDT, March 19, 2024

The Princess of Wales’s Mother’s Day portrait may have been altered using AI or even stitched together a number of photos to create the ‘perfect family photo’, experts told MailOnline today.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been urged to release the original photo after at least 16 mysterious tamperings were spotted in the 24 hours since it was released.

The innocent Mother’s Day photo of the Princess of Wales and her three children has sparked an international scandal after most of the world’s major photo agencies ‘killed’ the image and questioned its integrity.

Kate today apologized for her editing skills, but experts have given their views on what they think happened and how the photo was digitally altered. A source said the Princess of Wales has made some ‘minor adjustments’.

Some believe the Princess of Wales has used an AI tool, such as ‘Best Take’, found on a £1,059 Google Pixel 8 phone, which merges a series of photos into one perfected image to ensure everyone on the images are smiling and have their eyes open, for example. But this can lead to blurred lines and glitches in the final images.

Others have blamed “sloppy” use of Photoshop or other computer software, such as Topaz, which is routinely used to enhance images. But most have said that the edits were made by Kate to improve the photo and not to ‘mislead’.

A photographer told MailOnline today that the public can be sure the controversial image showed Kate sitting with her children for the portrait. But Katie Mortimore believes the photo was then ‘manipulated’ to create the ‘perfect family photo’.

Paul Clarke said he wondered if it had been changed so drastically that even ‘snot on a sleeve’ of a royal child or some other sign could have been removed to perfect every element of the ultimately released image.

MailOnline can reveal the statements of leading experts from around the world on the ‘CuffGate’ scandal, so named because Princess Charlotte’s left hand is misaligned with the sleeve of her cardigan, casting doubt on the authenticity of the image and leads to the rare ‘murder’. announcement’ for a royal photo.

Kate used Photoshop to create a dream family photo using two or more photos

Photographer Katie Mortimore believes the photo was enhanced using Adobe’s Photoshop software.

Photoshop can be used to stitch together multiple photos together – but if not done right

She said: ‘The photo has clearly been manipulated. What’s not clear is whether it’s a combination of two similar frames to look its best, or whether it’s a piece-manufacture.

‘Personally, I’m quite sure that the Princess of Wales was sitting in the chair with her children, but without her arms around them. To be honest, that kind of reach of both arms in a recent major abdominal surgery would probably be painful.

‘I don’t believe this is the first manipulated image from the palace, BUT this coincides with the princess’ illness and therefore only raises more questions rather than eliminating them.

Speaking to news agency Newspage, she added: ‘It would be best for the Palace to release the raw image to agencies, but I would be surprised if this happened. Why was the image manipulated? I suspect the princess did it as an avid photographer who wanted to take a near-perfect family photo.”

Google Pixel AI for the perfect smiling faces

Some experts believe that if the photos had been taken on a mobile phone, AI-powered software could have been used to enhance the photo.

‘Best Take’ is available on the Google Pixel 8 phone and is especially good for group photos, especially when children are involved.

The software finds successive photos taken in a 10-second burst and then presents images of faces with the subjects looking at the lens and smiling.

Patrick Whitty, who photographs for the New York Times, TIME and National Geographic, tweeted: ‘I suspect the photo was taken with the Google Pixel 8, using the ‘Best Take’ feature, which selects the ‘best face’ for each person ‘ chooses. and automatically merges them into one photo.

‘There are so many warning signs in this photo of Kensington Palace. I was surprised the wires would move it’.

Cleaned up with a ‘clone tool’

Experts have also suggested that Kate may have used a so-called ‘cloning tool’ to clean up a photo.

This tool allows the user to seamlessly remove unwanted artifacts from an image, such as things in the background or spots on a person.

Freelance photographer Paul Bevan tweeted: ‘I don’t think it’s unreliable. Someone tried to clean up the photo a bit and used the clone tool, but didn’t use it very well and they needed time to extract the photo. I would like to see the original version’.

Images taken during a single shoot were combined

Jon Mills, Group Picture Editor of SWNS, Britain’s second largest news agency, told MailOnline: ‘Although the Palace eventually released this particular image, it is very clumsy editing, it was not done by a professional.

‘But the quality of the image is consistent, so my best guess is that elements from footage taken during one take have been combined. “It probably shows the pressure the Prince of Wales is under to present his family in the best light, rather than any attempt at deception.”

Amateur editing

Paul Clarke, one of Britain’s most experienced photographers, said problems may have been caused by the search for a perfect photo and perhaps by trying to clean up imperfections.

“Here we have confusing decisions about the creation of the photo and sloppy editing (a bit of snot on the sleeve? who knows) that just don’t make much sense,” he tweeted.

‘There are numerous 100% certain photographic manipulations easily visible in that Kate photo. What were they thinking?’

Adorable animal photos taken by Britain’s best young wildlife photographers have been nominated for prizes in an RSCPA competition – with one nominee aged just six years old.

Fourteen animal images of pets and farm animals have been shortlisted and the winner will be determined through votes cast online by the public.

The cute and funny images show pets and farm animals the children encounter, including photos of Scottish Highland cattle, domestic cats and dogs – and even an alpaca.

Other entries include photos of Charlie the rescue rooster by 14-year-old Rebekah Welby and Susie the curious pony by Eilidh Shannon, 12.

The youngest on the shortlist is 6-year-old Alfie Woodfine from Berkshire, who captured the photo of his beautiful puppy Petal after she fell asleep in her cuddles.

Emma Narkevic, 13, who lives in Kent, was shortlisted for her entry – a Highland cow enjoying a green snack.

“This image is very funny because it makes you realize that animals, like this cow, have characters just like people,” she said.

‘Even cows can enjoy a snack and I’m very grateful that I captured this because even though I tried to look at an animal seriously and beautiful, you can get a hysterical and crazy side that made my day!’

Voting for the People’s Choice Award is now open and members of the public can choose their favorite images, with the winner receiving £100 worth of Amazon vouchers and an RSPCA Young Photographer Awards trophy.

Voting closes on March 12 and the winner will be announced on March 14.

RSPCA photographer and judge Andrew Forsyth said: ‘We love this part of the awards as it gives the public the chance to get involved and choose their favorite photo.

‘We have shortlisted some funny, sweet and stunning photos and we are happy to share them. I can’t wait to see the winning photo!

‘The photographs shortlisted for this year’s People’s Choice Award show some incredibly feel-good images and a range of animals from pets, farm animals to insects.

‘This is a fantastic selection that is sure to make you laugh and say ‘aww’ out loud – so please vote!’

The most beautiful villages in the UK have been named – and ranked – with the prize for the most picturesque going to a fishing townlet with ‘stunning scenery everywhere’.

So reveals Big 7 Travel, which asked some of the UK’s leading travel photographers to vote for the nation’s most beautiful villages and then used their responses to compile the list.

From coastal communities with breathtaking vistas to countryside boltholes with cobbled streets and charming stone houses, the 20-strong ranking is sure to ignite your wanderlust.

It features popular places such as Cornwall’s Port Isaac and Devon’s South Pool as well as lesser-known gems such as Alnmouth, Northumberland, and Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.

Ullapool in Ross and Cromarty, Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds and Snowdonia’s Betws-y-Coed also feature among the photographers’ favourites.

Scroll down for the full ranking, presented here in reverse order. In theory, the further you scroll, the more mesmerised you’ll be. Don’t agree with the order? Cast your vote in our poll at the bottom…

The Israeli government is demanding answers from Western media outlets, including CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press and The New York Times, following a media watchdog report that suggested freelance photographers they all hired may have been hired by Hamas on October 7.

The problem – highlighted by Honest reporting – concerns four freelance photographers from Gaza whose work has been published by the media.

Among them is Hassan Eslaiah, a photographer who has now been seen on camera with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

All four media outlets deny any prior knowledge of the Hamas attack and claim they cut ties with reporters. The New York Times today slammed Honest Reporting for its “vague insinuations” defending the photographer it hired.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers are demanding more information.

‘The PMO’s National Directorate of Public Diplomacy considers with the utmost seriousness that photojournalists working with the international media participated in covering the brutal acts of murder committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 in the communities bordering the Gaza Strip .

“These journalists were complicit in crimes against humanity; their actions were contrary to professional ethics.

‘Last night, the GPO sent an urgent letter to the bureau chiefs of the media organizations that employed these photographers, requesting clarification on the matter. The National Directorate for Public Diplomacy demands that immediate action be taken,” read a statement on the Israeli Prime Minister’s X account.

Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud and Hatem Ali have also been providing the Western media with photos of the conflict since October 7. They have collaborated with CNN, The AP, Reuters and The New York Times, according to an article by Honest reporting.

There are serious concerns about what each of the photojournalists knew and when.

The Israeli government has demanded an explanation from the media, all of which have denied prior knowledge of the attack.

In response to the criticism, a CNN spokesperson told DailyMail.com: “We had no prior knowledge of the October 7 attacks.

“Hassan Eslaiah, a freelance journalist who worked for us and many other media outlets, was not working for the network on October 7.

“As of today, we have severed all ties with him.”

In an earlier statement, the network said it had found no “reason to doubt the journalistic accuracy” of his work.

The New York Times completely denied the allegations.

It had hired photographer Yousef Masoud, whose photos depict violence in Gaza.

“The accusation that anyone at The New York Times had prior knowledge of the Hamas attacks or accompanied Hamas terrorists during the attacks is untrue and outrageous. It is reckless to make such accusations, which endangers our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza. The Times has reported extensively on the October 7 attacks and the war, with fairness, impartiality and an enduring understanding of the complexities of the conflict.

‘Although Yousef was not working for The Times on the day of the attack, he has done important work for us since. There is no evidence to support Honest Reporting’s insinuations. Our review of his work shows that he did what photojournalists always do during major news events: he documented the tragedy as it unfolded,” the paper said.

The Associated Press in its statement denied having any prior knowledge of the attack and insisted that the first photos it received were taken after it began.

‘The first photos that AP received from a freelancer show that they were taken more than an hour after the attacks started.

“There were no AP personnel at the border at the time of the attacks, nor did any AP personnel cross the border at any time.

“We are no longer working with Hassan Eslaiah, who occasionally freelanced for AP and other international news organizations in Gaza.

‘AP uses images created by freelancers all over the world. When we accept freelance photos, we take great steps to verify the authenticity of the images and show what is claimed.

“The AP’s role is to gather information about major news events around the world, wherever they occur, even if those events are horrific and cause mass casualties.”

Two photos published by Reuters on October 7 were taken near the Gaza border as Hamas’ invasion began.

Honest Reporting notes that photographers Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih “coincidentally arrived at the border just in time for the Hamas infiltration.”

Responding to reporters, a Reuters spokesperson said the agency obtained photos on October 7 from photographers with whom it previously had no relationship.

‘The photos published by Reuters were taken two hours after Hamas fired rockets across southern Israel and more than 45 minutes after Israel said armed men had crossed the border. Reuters journalists were not on site at the locations referenced in the HonestReporting article,” the statement said.

‘Have the photojournalists who freelance for other media, such as CNN and The New York Times, informed these media? Judging from the images of the lynching, kidnapping and storming of an Israeli kibbutz, it appears that the line has been crossed not only physically, but also journalistically,” the HonestReporting article said.

In his video front of the attack, Eslaiah appears to be wearing his own clothing and is not recognizable as a member of the media.

In 2021, it was widely reported that the Associated Press was using the same office space as Hamas in Gaza.

Eslaiah was previously pictured in a loving embrace with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an undated photo.

Honest Reporting was founded by veteran Israeli journalist Gil Hoffman. The motto is: ‘The public deserves to know.’

“If international news agencies decide to pay for material captured under such problematic circumstances, their standards may be called into question and their audiences deserve to know,” reads part of their report on Eslaiah.

“And if their people on the ground were to actively or passively work with Hamas to take control, they would be called upon to redefine the line between journalism and barbarism.”

Since the invention of the first photo camera in the early 1800s, journalists have been exploring the idea of capturing images of war. During the Crimean War of the 1850s, this idea was brought to life. It was one of the first examples of photography in a major military conflict. Since then, war photography has played a big role on the battlefield. It can quickly tell a story of suffering, reaching a broad audience in a way text is not always able to.

Exposing the public to images of war can make real the hardships people in these war-torn areas go through. However, it’s this powerful imagery that can lead us to forget who’s behind the camera. War photographers make dire sacrifices to spread awareness of what is going on during times of war. Some will even lose their lives. Ten of these photographers stand out for their bravery and for capturing images that are still used to teach history.

Related: Top 10 Fascinating Historical Photographs

10 Robert Capa

Born Endre Ernő Friedmann, Capa was an esteemed and well-practiced war photographer, gaining fame in 1936 for his work in the Spanish Civil War. It was there that he captured one of his most highly regarded photos, “Death of a Loyalist Soldier.” Capa left Europe and moved to the United States at the start of World War II in 1938. Here, he started working freelance for a handful of publications, such as LIFE Magazine. In 1941, on assignment for LIFE, Capa traveled parts of Europe and northern Africa with the U.S. Army. Arguably, some of his best works from this time came from Omaha Beach, where he documented the start of the invasion of Normandy.

After the war, Capa returned to the U.S. and co-founded Magnum Photos. Most of his time was spent helping new photographers until 1954, when he volunteered to document the First Indochina War for LIFE. While in the Thái Bình province of Vietnam, Capa strayed from the group of soldiers he was traveling with. Shortly after, he stepped on a landmine, killing him. His career lived up to his famous quote, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”^[1]

9 Gerda Taro

Despite not having a long career, with the help of her close ties to Robert Capa, Taro still had a fruitful one. She was a Jewish woman living in Leipzig, Germany, during the Nazis’ rise to power, and because of this, she moved to France. It wasn’t until she met German photographer Tim Gidal at work that Taro developed an interest in the art form. This interest was heightened a year later, in 1934, when she met Robert Capa. The two became lovers and later moved in together. While Capa was gone for long periods on assignments, Taro would work for a friend as a darkroom assistant. Here, she began learning the basics of photography. With this newfound knowledge, she would get a job at Alliance Photo in October of 1935.

Taro and Capa continued to develop their photography skills. By 1936, the couple was working together for Vu magazine, covering the Spanish Civil War. By July of 1937, Taro was confident enough in her work to go on trips by herself. On one of these solo trips on July 25, she visited the front in Brunete, Spain. Shortly after arriving in the city, German planes began bombing the area. While seeking shelter, Taro found a press vehicle to climb onto. During the retreat, a tank collided with the car, knocking Taro off and crushing her. She was transported to a nearby British military hospital. However, she died of her injuries the next day.

Taro was the first female war photographer to die as a result of combat.^[2]

8 Tim Hetherington

Starting his education in literature, Hetherington received his degree from Oxford in 1992. Shortly after, he developed a deep interest in visual media and got a second degree in photojournalism from Cardiff in 1997. Following a short stint working for the Big Issue, Hetherington was more content working independently on projects he thought were more important for the world to know about. He wanted to be the one crafting the narrative, telling the stories of human suffering that led him to spend eight years in Africa, where he published most of his works.

His first years were spent documenting the Second Liberian Civil War with fellow war photographer James Brabazon. The two would create the documentary Liberia: An Uncivil War. He then took time to document ongoing rehabilitation efforts throughout Africa—most of which were centered around sports, helping child soldiers return to normal life. Hetherington would briefly enter the Niger Delta region to cover conflicts over natural resources before going to Afghanistan. Here, he would join soldiers of the United States Army and film documentaries about their daily lives and the lives of local civilians.

In 2011, he traveled to Libya to document the anti-Gaddafi uprising and civil war. In the town of Misrata on April 20, Hetherington and fellow war photographer Chris Hondros were killed in a mortar attack by Libyan forces.^[3]

7 Chris Hondros

Hondros started with a degree in literature before finding work as a war photographer at Getty Images. He stayed there his entire career. Starting by covering conflicts across Africa, it was in Liberia during the Second Civil War that Hondros would claim a spot with the greats. His image of Joseph Duo, a young man fighting since the age of 14, would be widely published across media outlets during the early 2000s. Hondros would later go back to Liberia to meet Duo again and even pay for him to return to school, which he wrote about in a post online.

After his years in Africa, Hondros would spend a lot of time in the Middle East with the United States military, documenting patrols. One incident in Tal Afar, Iraq, had Hondros in the dark of night with soldiers at a military checkpoint. The soldiers were alerted to a vehicle in the distance, and after unsuccessfully trying to get them to stop, they fired into the vehicle. Inside were six children, one of whom was grazed in the abdomen, and two dead parents. It was here that Hondros got another one of his legendary photos. One that looks to be out of a Hollywood film. A child crouched on the ground, covered in blood and crying, with a soldier standing next to them.

In 2011, Hondros traveled to Libya to document the civil war, and with Tim Hetherington, he was killed by a mortar attack in Misrata on April 20.^[4]

6 Larry Burrows

Born in London in 1926, Burrows always had an interest in the arts. Starting his career covering conflicts in northern Africa, he wouldn’t gain notoriety until 1962, when he began his nine-year journey documenting the Vietnam War. While most war photographers of the time were still shooting in black and white, Burrows would often opt to use colored film, which gave his photos a distinct perspective.

It was this, paired with his desire to experience the war through the eyes of a soldier, that gave his images an intimacy seldom found at the time. He would live with soldiers in their camps, fly on helicopters during combat missions, and stay on the front lines when fighting broke out. While most of Burrows’s images would portray the aftermath of such fighting with images like “Reaching Out,” he would still find time to compose photos during battle, like his photo essay “One Ride with Yankee Papa 13.”

This intensity and closeness would remain in Burrows’s work for his entire career, up until his death. On February 10, 1971, while flying over Laos in a helicopter, Burrows and four other war photographers were shot down. No one survived the crash.

Following Burrows’s death, managing editor for LIFE Ralph Graves would go on to say, “I do not think it is demeaning to any other photographer in the world for me to say that Larry Burrows was the single bravest and most dedicated war photographer I know of.”^[5]

5 Yaser Murtaja

Murtaja was a Palestinian war photographer from Gaza who co-founded Ain Media in 2012. His works were mostly focused on human rights in the region. While on one such excursion covering protests in Khan Younis on April 6, 2018, Murtaja was shot in the abdomen by an Israeli sniper. Later in the night, Murtaja succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

His death sparked an outcry among human rights activists and journalists in the area. In response, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, “Whoever operates drones above IDF (Israeli Defense Force) soldiers needs to understand that he is endangering himself. We have seen dozens of cases of Hamas activists disguised as medics and journalists.” Despite this, fellow journalists on the ground would say that Murtaja was not operating any drone at the time he was shot and that he was wearing a helmet and vest, both marked with “PRESS.”

Claims that the IDF was targeting journalists would become widespread, and on April 7, the IDF denied this claim, stating they would be opening an investigation into the death of Murtaja. However, an investigation was never opened, stating, “No suspicion was found, which would justify the opening of a criminal investigation.” Murtaja lives on through his fellow journalists in the region as the conflicts in Gaza continue to this day.^[6]

4 Kenji Nagai

Nagai was a Japanese war photographer working with Tokyo’s AFP News. With them, he became familiar with being in dangerous areas. He took assignments in the Middle East from the late 1990s to the early 2000s before arriving in Myanmar to document the Saffron Revolution. On September 27, 2007, in Yangon, Myanmar, troops took to the streets, where they began firing on protesters, killing at least nine, as reported by several news outlets; however, the exact number is unknown. Among them was Nagai. Initial reports from Myanmar officials claimed that Nagai was killed by a stray bullet.

Video taken of the incident circulated on Japanese television, showing a soldier walking up to Nagai and pointing a rifle at him before he fell to the ground. This called into question the claims of local officials. The Japanese embassy in Myanmar later confirmed that the trajectory of the projectile through Nagai’s body was not consistent with a stray bullet.

It is still not certain whether it was a stray bullet or whether Nagai was specifically targeted. Still, the consensus among those involved leans toward it being intentional. Photographer Anrees Latif, who was also in Yangon, would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for a photo he took of Nagai the moment he hit the ground.^[7]

3 Dickey Chapelle

A Wisconsin-born woman, Chapelle received her education in engineering at MIT before finding her passion in photography. She started her career at TWA in New York, later landing a job with National Geographic as a war photographer. Chapelle’s career took off following her work in the Pacific during World War II, where she traveled with U.S. Marines across Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

She made a brief appearance in Cuba and in Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution. There, she was jailed for nearly two months for smuggling medical supplies into the region. Her career then culminated during the Vietnam War, where she traveled with several United States military groups and even became the first war photographer to parachute with troops.

Unfortunately, on November 4, 1965, while on patrol with her unit, a marine walked into a tripwire, detonating a grenade. After being struck with shrapnel, Chapelle passed away in a helicopter on the way to a hospital. Despite being a civilian, the military would honor Chapelle at her funeral and during the 50th anniversary of her memorial.^[8]

2 Gilles Caron

Gilles Caron of France lived a short life but was still able to create a place in history for himself as an exemplary war photographer. In 1959, he served two years in the French military due to France’s compulsory service at the time. In 1961, he spent two months in prison for refusing to fight before finishing his service in 1962.

After a brief run in fashion photography, he joined APIS (Agence Parisienne d’Informations Sociales) in 1965. There, he started finding success as a photojournalist but didn’t stay long before moving to the photo agency Gamma in 1967. With them, he finished his career as a war photographer. For three years, he traveled the world, covering conflicts. Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War, and Vietnam that same year. Then, to Biafra in April 1968 to cover the Nigerian Civil War. Toward the end of 1968 and 1969, he covered protests and a few more minor conflicts throughout the world.

In 1970, Caron traveled to Cambodia during the coup. On April 5, while traveling on Khmer Rouge-controlled Route One, Caron went missing. He was never heard from again and was declared dead on September 22, 1978.^[9]

1 Army Specialist Hilda Clayton

Clayton enlisted in the military on September 21, 2011, for the role of 25V, the Army’s designation for Combat Documentation and Production Specialists. She was assigned to the Army’s 55th Signal Company following her training and was deployed to the Laghman province of eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On July 2, 2013, she was documenting a joint live-fire exercise with Afghan troops in the city of Jalalabad. During this exercise, one of the mortars she was standing next to malfunctioned and exploded, killing her. Her camera survived the explosion and was still recording. On it were surreal images of Afghan soldiers huddled around the mortar as it exploded. As a result of the incident, Army Specialist Hilda Clayton and four Afghan National Army soldiers lost their lives.^[10]

‘Every piece of this island is so stunning, that sometimes we can’t believe it’s real.’

So says photographer Karol Kru, who has been capturing spellbinding pictures of the Portuguese island of Madeira since he moved there with his wife, Mary, last year.

Karol, 31, says that he and Mary, 30, ‘immediately fell in love’ with the island, known as the ‘Pearl of the Atlantic’.

The Polish adventure photographer tells MailOnline Travel: ‘There are so many places to be explored, so we’ve decided to stay here longer. Madeira has many amazing places, and that’s not an exaggeration. It has got everything from mysterious forests, high mountain peaks and graceful waterfalls to green valleys, sharp mountain spires and rough cliffs.’

Despite its beauty, Karol notes that Madeira is still a lesser-known travel destination for many. He says: ‘Coming here for a holiday isn’t a cliche. We like [to] explore the island, discovering new places [and] hidden gems.’

Mary, who is originally from Ukraine, occasionally features in his landscape photographs. The couple met whilst studying in China and have since devoted their lives to travelling the world, with photography eventually becoming Karol’s full-time job. Karol says that he sets out to show his followers the ‘real, raw Madeira’. Scroll down to see breathtaking pictures from his portfolio…

To see more photography from Karol visit his website, Instagram account and the YouTube account he shares with Mary.