Picture of christening of Harry and Meghan's son Archie becomes third royal photo flagged as 'edited' by agency

20 March 2024, 05:53 | Updated: 20 March 2024, 06:38

A picture of the christening of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie has become the third photo to be dragged into a royal row over editing.

Getty Images said that the photo, taken by fashion photographer Chris Allerton in 2019, had been "digitally enhanced".

It comes after a photo of Kate Middleton with her children and a picture taken by Kate of the Queen with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were both also flagged as edited.

Unlike the first two photos, the claim has met with immediate resistance from the photographer. Mr Allerton said that Getty's comments were a "load of cobblers."

The photo shows Archie with his parents, flanked by Kate and Camilla. Behind them are Charles, Meghan's mother Doria Ragland, Princess Diana's sisters, and William.

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It comes after Getty said that a picture of the Queen with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, taken by Kate in August 2022, had been "digitally enhanced at source".

The Queen died the month after the photo was taken, but the office of Prince William and Kate released the picture to the public in April 2023 to mark what would have been the late monarch's 97th birthday.

Getty reviewed the image after the recent controversy over an edited picture of Kate and her children.

The photo of the Queen contains several inconsistencies, including an irregularity with the tartan on her skirt, and dark patches behind Prince Louis' ear and Prince George's collar.

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A spokesman for Getty said: "Getty Images has reviewed the image in question and placed an editor’s note on it, stating that the image has been digitally enhanced at source."

As well as Louis and George, the photo shows the Queen's grandchildren Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex - the children of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh - at the back.

In the middle row are Lena Tindall, the daughter of Mike and Zara Tindall, Princess Charlotte next to her brother George, Isla Phillips, and Louis on the end.

To the right of the Queen is Mia Tindall, holding baby Lucas Tindall, and to the monarch's left is Savannah Phillips.

It comes after days of speculation about a photo of Kate and her children, which Getty and other agencies also said had been manipulated. The Princess of Wales later admitted editing it herself.

She said: "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."

The photo was released as wild conspiracy theories circulated about Kate's health after her lengthy lay-off following surgery.

Several ‘inconsistencies’ were pointed out in the image, which was released for Mother's Day in the UK, with some claiming Kate’s zip is misaligned and that her wedding ring is absent.

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However, the main ‘error’ in the image was be with Princess Charlotte’s skirt, which is blurred at the edges, and her sleeve, which is partially missing.

The photo is the first authorised release by Kensington Palace since Kate's surgery.

There is no suggestion that the Princess is not in good health despite the claims.

Kate was last seen in public attending the Christmas Day service at Sandringham with the rest of the royal family.

However, she was pictured publicly for the first time with her mother Carole Middleton by US outlet TMZ. She was later spotted going shopping with William on Sunday;

It follows weeks of speculation on her whereabouts, with Kensington Palace refusing to give further updates on her recovery.

The palace slammed the "madness of social media", insisting that Kate has a right to privacy and that she is "doing well".

Kate will not return to her royal duties until after Easter.