The world cried foul after the broadcast of a doctored photo of Kate Middleton this Sunday, March 10.
What is happening in Wales?
Why share, in such circumstances, an edited photo?
Prince William's wife even had to defend himself on his behalf in an Instagram story, evoking a simple "editing" on his part, like any good photography enthusiast.
As artificial intelligence expert Pierre Saal explained to us a few days ago, “the tools for Photoshopping an image are increasingly accessible and used by everyone very regularly.”
The royal family is not exempt from these new technologies and, like it or not, also retouches these photos from time to time.
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Also read “Both hands have been added, that’s for sure”: an expert deciphers the faked photo of Kate Middleton
Smile, prince!
First example, in 1999, during the marriage of Prince Edward to Sophie Rhys-Jones.
That day, Prince William was apparently not in a very good mood, forcing the Crown to make him more...smiling.
And to give royal fans the illusion of a more united family, the face of the 17-year-old teenager at the time had been replaced by that appearing in another photograph - therefore more smiling.
“Prince Edward said he thought Prince William wasn't being presented in the best light, so we digitally took the image of Prince William from another photo where he was smiling and put it into the first one. “, Sir Geoffrey Shakerley, behind the lens that day, explained to the newspaper.
And the Lebanese newspaper
L'Orient-Le Jour
headlined: “William retouched in the photos.
Smile, prince!”
The Queen and her grandchildren
Same thing for this famous portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and her ten grandchildren, captured in the summer of 2022 in the living room of her Balmoral residence.
When the photo was published, in April 2023, some found the image too smooth and mathematically impossible to achieve.
For Maud Garmyn, royal journalist, and Christopher Bouzy, technology entrepreneur, there was no doubt: the portrait had indeed been retouched.
“It's not easy to get the perfect photo with 10 kids and capture their smiles at the same time.
It seems that they took several photos and then retouched the photo to make it perfect,” the latter explained to the
Telegraph
.
And added: “When we zoom in on the image, we realize that it has been modified.
Obviously, Louis would even have been added.
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Another retouching, this time cruder, on a photo of the couple composed of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
On June 10, 2020, for the Duke of Edinburgh's 99th birthday, Buckingham Palace posted a photo of him and the sovereign in the gardens of Windsor Castle.
But when passing the eye from right to left, the contours appear very strange, not to say falsely natural.
Above all, a shadow appears on the queen's right hand, suggesting a very botched addition and cutting.
Also read: Kate Middleton affair: understand everything in 2 minutes flat
The 4 fingers of Prince Louis
Finally, a much more recent photo of the Cambridges once again reignites the controversy.
On December 11, 2023, three months before the Kate Middleton doctored photo scandal, a family greeting card had already been pinned.
In black and white, the image shows Princess Charlotte on a chair, surrounded by her brother, Prince George, her two parents, and Prince Louis.
Zooming in, an extra foot appears under Charlotte's chair.
Little Louis seems to only have four fingers.
“Photoshop error!!
There is an extra leg in this photo!!!!
How did the photographer not notice??
Oh my God,” we could read in the comments.
If it is only a question of small adjustments each time, these accumulate and are certainly only the result of these few examples.
So, while many people have cried out following the faked photo of Kate Middleton, it is important to remember that this fakery is part of what seems to be a habit of the royal family.