Following the scandal of the edited photo published by Kensington Palace featuring Princess Kate Middleton with her three children for Mother's Day last week, which turned out to be altered, a new surprise has emerged amidst the rumors surrounding the Princess of Wales since her hospitalization for surgery about a month ago. A prestigious global agency revealed that a photo of Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren, taken by the Princess of Wales, was also "digitally altered."
A spokesperson for Getty Images stated that the renowned agency reviewed the picture captured at Balmoral in August 2022, after Kate admitted to editing the controversial Mother's Day photo. It was noted that "the image published by Buckingham Palace on April 21 last year to mark the late queen's 97th birthday was digitally enhanced from the source," as reported by The Telegraph.
Additionally, the inspection of the mentioned photo revealed several inconsistencies, including, for example, peculiar lines appearing on the late queen's skirt, along with a dark shadow behind Prince Louis's ear, and a small black patch visible behind the collar of Prince George's shirt.
The prior photo of Kate ignited a storm of rumors and conspiracy theories, undermining the royal family's efforts to reassure the public about the princess's health. Some even questioned whether the Princess of Wales was still alive; however, her appearance yesterday alongside her husband, Prince William, as they strolled and shopped in the streets dismissed that wave of rumors entirely.
It is noteworthy that Kate had previously apologized and accepted responsibility for the Mother's Day photo manipulation. In a brief message posted on social media, Middleton mentioned that she experimented with her "editing" skills, affirming that she was responsible for the modification that led to the removal of the photo showing her smiling and surrounded by her three children, from five of the largest global news agencies.
However, this apology, despite its simplicity, led to a flood of theories about the wife of the British heir, compiled online under the term "Katespiracy," which combines the words Kate and "Conspiracy." The rumors were fueled by the princess's absence from public appearances since Christmas and her undergoing abdominal surgery.
Meanwhile, a writer for The Guardian, Simon Jenkins, remarked that the essence of the story about the modified royal photo is very simple: that everything should be said openly. He added, "At this point, protecting privacy is ineffective; it fuels rumors and gossip."
Others felt that the story had gained more attention than it warranted due to the "deepfake era (images or audio/video manipulated digitally) that we live in, supported by generative artificial intelligence."
