Prince Archie’s Christening Photo Raises Questions After Royal Family Was Found to Have Manipulated Some Images
The royal family’s PR team appears to be crumbling. The more they do, the more problems arise. Prince William and Kate Middleton recently came under fire for a Mother’s Day photo featuring Kate and the kids. It was later spotted by eagle-eyed fans that the photo had been heavily edited, eventually prompting major news and image outlets around the world to pull the photo from circulation.
Now, other images have come under fire, including a photo of the late Queen Elizabeth II with her great-grandchildren. And Prince Archie, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, had a Christening photo questioned, too. But the photographer of that one vehemently denies that any altering happened.
Prince Archie’s photographer denies allegations of photo tampering
It seems that once the Mother’s Day photo was found to be edited, people went back to other images and heavily inspected them — one of which was Prince Archie’s christening photo, which was taken in July 2019. It features Archie and his parents, as well as King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, and Princess Diana’s sisters.
Getty Images reportedly attached a note to the image suggesting it had been edited, but the photographer, Chris Allerton, came forward with a statement vehemently denying those allegations. “I would like to state very clearly and thus clarify matters that the photograph you are referring to, taken by me at Windsor Castle on July 6, 2019, has not been manipulated and was distributed to the best of my knowledge in adherence with the submission guidelines required by Getty Images, via the Palace press office,” Allerton told Express.
Getty Images, the agency that placed the editor’s note, has since removed it, essentially clearing the family of digitally altering the image.
The royal family has come under fire for altering various images
People are starting to take a much closer look at professional images released on behalf of the royal family ever since the Mother’s Day photo debacle. Kate Middleton released a statement following the Mother’s Day controversy admitting that she had edited the image.
A photo of the late queen and some of her great grandchildren was released back in April 2023 to mark what would have been her birthday, and many people felt the image was a snub to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, whose children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were the only ones not in the image. Now, though, it appears the image was digitally altered, prompting Getty Images to add a note that it was “enhanced at source.” It’s unclear who was actually in the photo and what the original image looked like.
The royal family can’t seem to catch a break; the moves of repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot are beginning to heavily damage their credibility as an institution.
