Images of Princess Kate aren’t the only ones facing controversy. Now, a picture of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s son, Archie, is making headlines after the photo agency Getty Images reportedly issued a warning to news outlets, labeling the shot as “digitally enhanced.”
Getty did not elaborate why the picture was given this label. The shot was captured by photographer Chris Allerton shortly after Archie’s christening took place in 2019. The image features Meghan, 42, holding their then-2-month-old son, sitting next to Harry, 39. The pair are surrounded by Harry’s brother, Prince William, Kate, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland and Princess Diana‘s sisters. Archie, now 4, was wearing a traditional white christening outfit at the time.
In addition to Archie, Meghan and Harry also share their daughter, Lilibet.
In response to the “digitally enhanced” label, Chris provided a statement to Daily Mail earlier this week. The fashion photographer called it a “load of cobblers.”
The news comes amid ongoing buzz about images of Princess Kate, 42. The uproar began on March 10, when the Princess of Wales shared a photo of her and William’s children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — in honor of Mother’s Day in the U.K. The Associated Press notified media outlets that the picture had been “manipulated.”
“At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the AP explained. “No replacement photo will be sent.” Later that week, Instagram labeled the post as “altered.”
Kate promptly apologized for “editing” the image, penning a brief statement to X (formerly known as Twitter) and to her Instagram Stories. She called herself an “amateur photographer” and explained that she tweaked the snapshot but didn’t intend to cause a problem.
Clearly, the staged #KateMiddleton sightings aren't working. If this healthy looking woman is Kate, make a 30 sec. video & B done w/it. Personally, I'm enjoying this💩show. After what #WilliamandKate did 2 #MeghanMarkle, I say, let the dragging continue.pic.twitter.com/LbuSBNHFZt
— Sylvia (@joeloveshelen) March 20, 2024
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate confessed. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
Nevertheless, the internet exploded with conspiracy theories that — amid Kate’s absence due to her hospitalization in January — there were AI-generated photos of the royal circulating online. Even when she was spotted out and about with William, 41, earlier this week, social media users questioned the authenticity of the video of Kate shopping at a local farm store in the U.K.