The second British royal photo featuring Kate Middleton underwent digital alterations, as revealed by Reuters’ analysis. This picture, taken by Kate herself at Balmoral Castle, depicted Queen Elizabeth and her descendants, commemorating what would have been the Queen’s 97th birthday. Despite initial distribution by Kensington Palace without issues, subsequent scrutiny unveiled eight instances of digital cloning, indicating manipulation within the image.
While Getty Images acknowledged the digital enhancement, details regarding the alterations remain undisclosed. Reuters, along with other news outlets, has initiated a review process to ensure compliance with editorial standards. Notably, this revelation follows the recent withdrawal of another photo featuring Kate and her children, issued by the palace for Mother’s Day, due to similar concerns regarding editorial integrity.
Addressing the situation, Kate expressed regret for any confusion caused by the edited photographs, attributing them to her experimentation with editing as an amateur photographer. This development coincides with ongoing speculation about Kate’s health following her January abdominal surgery, with her recent appearance in a video for the first time since the operation garnering attention.