Kensington Palace in London
Kensington Palace is facing new questions about photo editing after Getty Images added an editor's note to a photo of Queen Elizabeth II taken by Kate Middleton.
The photo, which was shared by Kensington Palace in April 2023 on what would have been the late Queen's 97th birthday, had been “digitally enhanced” by the royal family, Getty said.
This is the second photo to raise concerns after major news agencies issued “kill notices” over a Mother's Day photo of Middleton and her children last week. Middleton apologized.
“Getty Images can confirm that, in accordance with its editorial policy, it has placed an editor's note on the publication image stating that the image has been digitally enhanced at source,” Getty told Sky News.
Deadline has contacted the photo agency for comment.
The photo of Queen Elizabeth II was allegedly taken by Middleton, Princess of Wales, at Balmoral in the summer of 2022, just months before the Queen's death.
Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director, told the BBC last week that Kensington Palace was no longer a “reliable source” following the furor over the Mother's Day photo.
“To kill something based on manipulation [is rare. We do it] Once a year maybe, hopefully less. “The previous killings we had were from the North Korean News Agency or the Iranian News Agency.”
Concerns about Queen Elizabeth II's image coincided with the emergence of a video of Middleton after her abdominal surgery in January. The Sun and TMZ were among those who published the video of Middleton and Prince William at the Windsor Farm Shop over the weekend.
This comes after weeks of wild speculation on social media about Middleton's health and whereabouts following her hospital procedure at the beginning of the year.
