Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace really don’t want to talk about how they’ve been posting manipulated photos for years. It’s especially notable when the photos are supposedly taken by the Princess of Wales, a keen “amateur photographer” and equally keen photo editor, it turns out. Kate has been cobbling together Frankenphotos for years and it all blew up with the Mother’s Day photo fiasco. Currently, several photo agencies are going through their archives and looking at what other palace-issued photos were manipulated. Because the palace is desperate to deflect, I would imagine that this new claim comes straight from them:
Another day, another doctored photo from the royal family? Photo agency Getty has labeled Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Archie’s christening portrait “digitally enhanced” on the heels of two other pictures making headlines for manipulation.
The July 2019 shot, which features Harry, 39, Markle, 42, and their baby boy on a couch surrounded by Kate Middleton, Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla and Doria Ragland was taken by Chris Allerton.
It is unclear where, if anywhere, the photo was edited — and the palace has yet to return Page Six’s request for comment. The photographer, however, has denied the assertion and called it a “load of cobblers,” the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
Chris Allerton was the photographer for Archie’s christening photos – Allerton is a respected portrait and fashion photographer, and he’s not sitting around, cobbling together frankenphotos at the palace’s request. Allerton has been interviewed several times in the past few days, and he has no idea what Getty is talking about:
Mr Allerton has vehemently denied having manipulated the picture “in any way”. He subsequently told the Daily Mail his picture had only required “the very minimal tuning” to its tone and exposure, with him having prepared his camera and lighting settings in advance, leaving him free to capture “a relaxed and pleasing moment, quickly and efficiently for them”.
In a statement sent to Express.co.uk Mr Allerton said the image “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”.
He also emphasied he had been unaware of the note in question until it was brought to his attention by the media. He added: “I have since contacted the Getty Editorial Team to request clarification. I have subsequently received a reply from a senior Getty Images director stating, ‘we have confirmed that no manipulation has been done to this image and the note has been removed’.”
So, I actually went to Getty Images’ archives to see if they really did put an editor’s note. As of March 20, there’s no note, nothing suggesting that the photo is manipulated. It absolutely feels like someone (WHOMST?) called up Getty and claimed that the Archie photo was edited and Getty was like “oh, we’ll put a note on it.” No one expected Allerton to come out and defend his work so vocally. They were just desperate to deflect and bring the Sussexes into the mess. I’ve noticed that from Derangers too – they’re in my timelines, crying about how Time Magazine “edited” this photo or that photo. These dumbasses really don’t get that Kate has been hacking together photos for years and it’s all coming to a head.
Photos courtesy of Sussex Royal IG, Chris Allerton/Buckingham Palace.
KING’S LYNN, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: HRH Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by Rose Cholmondeley, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley as they attend a gala dinner in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ nook appeal at Houghton Hall on June 22, 2016 in King’s Lynn, England. 
MANDATORY CREDIT: Chris Allerton – copyright SussexRoyal NEWS EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE. NO MERCHANDISING, ADVERTISING, SOUVENIRS, MEMORABILIA or COLOURABLY SIMILAR. NOT FOR USE AFTER FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2019, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM ROYAL COMMUNICATIONS AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. This photograph is provided to you strictly on condition that these conditions and restrictions will apply (and that you will pass these on) to any organisation to whom you supply it. There shall be no commercial use whatsoever of the photographs (including by way of example only) any use in merchandising, advertising or any other non-news editorial use. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals in the photograph when published. All other requests for use should be directed to the Buckingham Palace Press Office in writing. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are joined by her mother, Doria Ragland, as they show their new son, born Monday and named as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW5jZ4V5e9KopJ6nnpqstb7InpuYrJ%2BUsLC61aKlnJ2PnLK1wNiYq6GZpJS9s7XNnJyYmaKYtaqx0piaoaqZqMGmusinnpiomZjAoMPEq5yYnZSewaawjg%3D%3D