The photographer who took a picture of Kate Middleton and Prince William riding in a car together on March 11, 2024, addressed speculations that the Princess of Wales had been Photoshopped in the image. After Princess Catherine’s Mother’s Day photo came under fire for editing errors, social media users accused another image of the royals of manipulation.
The image, which shows the couple riding in the backseat of a Range Rover, faced allegations that it had been digitally doctored to include Kate Middleton. Social media users cited a difference in how the brick wall behind the vehicle looked through the window versus above the car.
Amid the speculations, photographer Jim Bennett addressed the rumors, sharing how he captured the buzzy moment.
Bennett Gives Insight on Photography
Bennett revealed he was expecting to photograph Prince William, 41, on his way to London for Commonwealth Day service. However, after snapping a few pictures of the passing vehicle, he noticed someone else in the car.
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“It wasn’t until I checked on the back of the camera to make sure I had a frame of Prince William that I realized someone was sitting next to him,” Bennett said. “It turned out to be Catherine!”
“Other than adjusting the light levels if necessary, we don’t change our photos in Photoshop,” the photographer noted. “Car shots are unpredictable at the best times, and with some reflection on the glass, it can be difficult.”
The Controversy
Kate Middleton has been out of the public eye since Christmas as she recovers from an abdominal surgery that took place on January 16, 2024. The Mother’s Day photo shared during the UK’s Mother’s Day marked the first official portrait of the royal since her procedure.
However, the photo quickly came under fire for multiple editing errors. After its release, major agencies issued a “kill notification” on the image. “We became aware of concerns about the image, and we carried out a report about it last night,” PA Media, one of the agencies that removed the photo from their service, said.
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“Besides, we made it clear that we were seeking urgent clarification about the image from Kensington Palace.” The agency added, “Without that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.”
Kate Middleton Tenders an Apology
After the backlash and the “kill issue” on the image, Kate Middleton addressed claims that the photo was doctored. “Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing,” the Princess of Wales said. “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 added. The message signed with a “C” for Catherine indicated that the note had come directly from Kate Middleton.
The Public Analysis
In addition to analyzing the photo, internet sleuths reportedly looked into the image file’s metadata.
They found that the image provided by Kensington Palace was saved twice using the photo editing tool Adobe Photoshop. The tool said the image was first saved at 9:54 p.m. and again at 9:39 a.m.
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An Insider’s Revelation on the Kate Middleton Photoshop
Following the heat that came with the photoshopped image, a palace insider spoke about the crisis. The inside claimed that while the situation is a “bump in the road, it’s not an earthquake.”
“Kate has apologized, and graciously so,” the insider said. She has done something that 99% of us do, and we don’t have the scrutiny they do.” “Think of the level of scrutiny of pictures of her as people pore over them,” the insider continues. You’re always on display and always have to be perfect.”
Also, Mark Borkowski, a London-based public relations and crisis communications expert, stated that there may be long-standing repercussions. “The difficulty now is because there is so little information about what’s happening to Kate,” Borkowski said.
“If they are going to project things normal in this way with a photo that speculates to be fake, it is pretty damning about the floundering and the poor decision-making that’s going on.”
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