Shocking royal photoshop fails – from Princess Kate slimming row to Wills’ bald spot and bizarre mystery of Queen’s hand
PRINCESS Kate is not the first person connected to the royals to dabble in digital doctoring – with disastrous results.
She has apologised for experimenting with editing on the Mother’s Day image put out by Kensington Palace, which has sparked mass confusion among royal fans.
The controversial snap, which was withdrawn by a number of picture agencies after “manipulation” on the image was discovered, is not the first one to raise eyebrows.
Some royal fans have suggested the late Queen appeared to have been treated to some minor aesthetic surgery via digital manipulation.
But at least the Princess of Wales owned up to her error.
Kate 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.”
Here we look at some of the other royal photoshop fails…
Can’t put your finger on it?
When the Waleses issued their annual Christmas card in December, observers noticed there was something strange about Prince Louis.
He appeared to be missing his middle finger on his left hand.
One fan wrote on X: “Is Prince Louis missing a finger? What in the AI is going on.”
Another penned: “I’m not a fan of this photo, look at Louis and his left hand, what is going on with that?”
Fans also spotted another odd detail in the photo, saying that Prince William‘s leg appeared to be missing.
One person circled a bare leg in the space underneath Louis, writing: “Whose legs are these?”
But another appeared to solve the mystery, replying: “William’s leg in long pants, and Louis in shorts.”
While the Royals did not comment officially, an insider insisted there was no digital manipulation and that Louis’s digit was simply bent over.
Helping hand?
This beautiful portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip appeared to have been spoiled by some creative photoshopping.
There is something odd about the monarch’s clasped hands in the picture, which was put out a couple of years before she died in September 2022.
Eagle-eyed royal fans spotted an odd dark outline around the edge of the Queen’s right hand, which they claimed suggested it had been cut in from an alternative image.
Some people on social media also questioned whether the couple’s image had been digitally edited onto a different background showing the front of Windsor Castle.
‘Zombie’ Kate
The image of the Princess of Wales graces the covers of magazines across the globe – but this one on the front of Australian publication Woman’s Day is best forgotten.
It looks like someone touched up the photo of Kate’s face ahead of the birth of Prince Louis in 2018.
Cosmpolitan magazine subsequently penned a scathing review, referring to the airbrushing as “creepy zombie photoshopping”.
This time the royals could not be blamed, because it clearly wasn’t their work.
Bald interference
Prince William has not hidden the fact that he’s thinning on top – with the heir to the throne opting for a closely shaved bonce.
In 2014, though, Vanity Fair magazine’s US edition was accused of flattering King Charles’s eldest son by digitally thickening his hair.
In response the publication insisted it had simply added more colours to make the photo look more “vibrant”.
Cheeky
Does Prince George need any help to look cute? Someone at the American magazine US Weekly seemed to think so.
The second-in-line to the throne gained greener eyes, pinker lips, more colourful hair and chubbier cheeks when he appeared on the cover of the publication in 2014.
One person on Twitter commented: “You know magazine airbrushing has gone too far when they airbrush a baby.”
Waist banned
The Press Complaints Commission was called in when Grazia magazine edited a snap of Princess Kate on her wedding day in 2011 to make her waist look slimmer.
The publication admitted altering the photo, but claimed it was an inadvertent error when they cut her husband William out of the image.
It was certainly a bad look for the magazine, because there were accusations that it was encouraging women to go for unattainable body sizes.
Why did photo agencies issue ‘kill notices’ on Princess Kate’s Mother’s Day picture?
PICTURE agencies have issued ‘kill notices’ on Princess Kate’s Mother’s Day picture.
The reason for killing the photo was: “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
The order then directs those who have used the photo to remove it from all platforms, including social.
Agence France-Press ordered the “mandatory kill” due to an “editorial issue” and directed that the image may no longer be used.
Reuters said the photo “has been withdrawn following a post publication review.”
Getty Images said: “For editorial reasons, please remove the following image(s) from your system and do not use in any manner.”
Getty said its picture desk “identified a problematic image” provided by the palace and removed it from its site “in accordance with our editorial policy.”
Each of the news agencies have their own editorial guidelines which govern how they treat images.
AP says that pictures “must always tell the truth” and that it does not alter or manipulate the content of a photograph in any way.
Its guidelines say: “The content of a photograph must not be altered in PhotoShop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph.”
However, AP says minor adjustments are allowed, they include cropping, colour adjustments, and light adjustments