Royal photo causes confusion
On 11 March, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, apologised for causing confusion by digitally editing a photo of her and her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The photo, taken by her husband Prince William, had been released the day before, which was Mother’s Day. It was the first official picture of Catherine that the public had seen since she had surgery in January because she has taken time off from her public duties while she recovers.
Lots of picture agencies (companies that provide images to news organisations) made the photograph available on their websites. It appeared on the front pages of several newspapers on 11 March. However, after becoming suspicious that the photo had been edited, five big picture agencies took the rare step of removing it from their systems and issuing what is called a “kill notice”. This is an instruction to news organisations not to use it any more.
News organisations had spotted several things in the photo that made their experts think it had been digitally altered. Part of Charlotte’s left sleeve is missing, and some parts of the photo appear to be blurred – Catherine’s right hand, Charlotte’s right knee and the hair on the right-hand side of Catherine’s face. Most of these issues can only be spotted when the photo is zoomed in on.
Now even smartphones give people access to tools that can alter photographs. People usually use these tools to create the best looking photos they can but they can also be used to create fake or misleading images. This is why agencies have very clear guidelines and restrictions around the use of edited images. These strict rules are so that people know they can trust the photos the agencies provide.
In a statement posted on social media on 11 March, the princess apologised and said, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”