A photograph of Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at Balmoral was “digitally enhanced at source”, a global picture agency has said.
The photo, taken by the Princess of Wales in August 2022, was reviewed by Getty Images after the Princess admitted that she had edited a Mother’s Day picture of herself and her three children.
Buckingham Palace released it on April 21 last year to mark what would have been the late Queen’s 97th birthday.
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.”
Close inspection of the picture appears to show several inconsistencies, including a vertical line where the tartan of the late Queen’s skirt does not match.
Credit: @KensingtonRoyal/Twitter (now 'X')
A dark shadow is visible behind Prince Louis’s ear, and a similar small black patch can be seen behind Prince George’s shirt collar. There are also signs of digital repetition of Mia Tindall’s hair.
Getty is understood to be the only agency that retains the image in its library. Other news and picture agencies no longer hold it as it was released for use until December 2023.
A community note – a feature on X, formerly Twitter, that allows users to add context to posts – has also been added to the image on Kensington Palace’s profile.
It states: “This image appears to have been digitally altered to give the impression that everyone within it was present at the same time. It is not a photograph of a moment, rather a collage of moments put together to create an illusion of a photograph.”
There is no suggestion that the Princess inserted anyone into the photograph.
Kensington Palace declined to comment.