New editing drama as Kate’s photo of Queen with grandkids was ‘digitally enhanced’: agency

Kate Middleton is accused of editing another photo, this time of the Queen and her 10 grandchildren.

An image Kate Middleton took of Queen Elizabeth II with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was “digitally” altered, according to a photo agency that examined the snap following the Princess of Wales’ Mother’s Day photo gaffe.

Middleton, 42, shot the portrait in April 2022, but Buckingham Palace did not share it until April 21, 2023, which would have been the late monarch’s 97th birthday.

The photo showed the Queen sitting on a couch at Balmoral Castle flanked by 10 of her heirs — although noticeably absent were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

A photo agency has declared that this portrait of Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren has been ‘digitally enhanced’. Picture: Princess of Wales/Kensington Palace/AFP

But in a new editor’s note, Getty Images warned the image “has been digitally enhanced at source”.

Getty flagged the snap after revisiting photos issued by the royal family after this year’s UK Mother’s Day portrait received a “kill notice”.

The Telegraph first reported numerous oddities in the 2022 image, ranging from the Queen’s mismatched skirt to cut lines on the green couch that show where it may have been spliced together.

Numerous edits can be seen in the image, which Kate snapped. Picture: Kensington Royal/AFP

A patch of black space can also be seen behind Prince George’s shirt where the pattern of his cousin’s dress should be.

Reps for Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately return Page Six’s requests for comment.

A black spot where Prince George’s cousin’s dress should be appears behind the future monarch’s neck. Picture: Princess of Wales/Kensington Palace/AFP

There also appears to be a line and a blur where the couch was spliced together. Picture: Princess of Wales/Kensington Palace/AFP

A new editor’s note from Getty Images warned the image “has been digitally enhanced at source.” Picture: Princess of Wales/Kensington Palace/AFP

Although the Princess of Wales apologised for heavily editing her family portrait on Mother’s Day, the boss of Agence France-Presse (AFP) declared that Kensington Palace was “absolutely not” a “trusted source” for information about the royal family.

The photo scandal came as conspiracy theories swirled about Middleton’s location, as she had not been seen nor heard from since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.

On Monday, she and her husband, Prince William, shut down many sceptics after they were spotted shopping at a local Windsor farm stand.

However, naysayers such as Andy Cohen are convinced the woman seen was not, in fact, Middleton.

“That ain’t Kate…” the Bravo bigwig tweeted Monday night.

This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission