A photo from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s son Archie’s christening marks the third picture that the royal family has been accused of editing.
The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday, March 19, that Getty Images flagged a July 2019 picture of the royals as “digitally enhanced.” The snap, taken by Chris Allerton, is of Harry, Meghan (who is holding a then 2-month-old Archie), King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate Middleton, Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and Princess Diana‘s sisters.
Photographer Allerton has denied the claims, telling the outlet that the suggestion is a “load of cobblers” a.k.a nonsense.
All eyes have been on the royal family in recent weeks as Kate, 42, recovers from abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace reported on January 17 that the planned procedure was “successful” and the princess would not resume her royal duties until after Easter. Conspiracy theories about Kate’s absence from the public eye quickly began to surface, with social media users taking things to the next level after discovering the photo Kate shared Mother’s Day in the U.K. was Photoshopped.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” a message signed by Kate and shared via X read on March 11.
William, 41, was given the photo credit for the picture of his wife and three kids: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Days later, The Telegraph reported six “inconsistencies” in a separate photo of Queen Elizabeth II with her grandkids taken in summer 2022. The snap was shared via social media in April 2023 in honor of what would’ve been the queen’s 97th birthday. Kate was credited as the photographer of the image.
The palace has attempted to shut down speculation that there’s anything suspicious about Kate’s recovery, with fans in denial that the three sightings of Kate in recent weeks are actually her.
“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates,” a spokesperson for the Princess of Wales told Us Weekly in a February 29 statement. “That guidance stands.”
William’s team added in a separate statement that the prince’s “focus is on work and not on social media.”
Among the unfounded theories is speculation that William and Kate are having marriage issues, with 2019 claims that he had an affair with Lady Rose Hanbury trending online. After years of silence, Hanbury reportedly denied the claims in a statement through her lawyer to Business Insider earlier this month.
“I know people who know the Marchioness of Cholmondeley very, very well, and she absolutely was not having an affair with the Prince of Wales,” royal expert and Editor-in-Chief of True Royalty TV Nick Bullen told Us on Tuesday. “Even when those rumors broke a few years ago, she was very upset by them then. She’s still very upset by them now.”
