'Enhanced at source': Another royal family photo featuring late Queen Elizabeth II sparks controversy

After Kate Middleton's Mother's Day post, another photograph featuring members of the royal family has come under scrutiny after a global picture agency revealed it had been “digitally enhanced at source.”

Getty Images, a prominent picture agency, added an editor’s note to a photo taken at Balmoral in August 2022 and released by Buckingham Palace last year to mark what would have been the late Queen’s 97th birthday.

The image depicts Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, Lena Tindall, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, Isla Phillips, Prince Louis, Mia Tindall, baby Lucas Tindall, and Savannah Phillips.

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The Guardian quoted Getty's spokesperson as saying, “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.”

Media outlets and netizens have found several notable discrepancies in the photo, including a vertical line where the tartan of the late queen’s skirt does not align, a dark shadow behind Prince Louis’ ear, and a similar small black patch behind Prince George’s shirt collar.

This development follows the recent controversy surrounding another photo of the Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, released for Mother’s Day, which was also flagged for digital enhancement.

Kate later apologised via a social media post for the controversy the edited image caused. "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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on March 11.