Photo of Queen Elizabeth II and Grandkids Was "Digitally Enhanced at Source," Agency Says

A photo of the late Queen Elizabeth II is getting royally scrutinized.

One week after Kate Middleton admitted to editing a family photo shared on U.K. Mother's Day, Getty Images addressed a 2022 picture the Princess of Wales took of the monarch with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren over its appearance.

In an editor's note, the photo agency wrote the image of the queen and the children "has been digitally enhanced at source." 

Kate and Prince William's official Instagram account shared the photo in April 2023 in honor of what would have been Elizabeth's 97th birthday.

The image—which the post noted was taken by Kate at Balmoral the summer before—showed the queen sitting on a couch while she was surrounded by 10 of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including the Wales' kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; Zara and Mike Tindall's trio Mia Tindall, Lena Tindall and Lucas Tindall; Peter and Autumn Phillips' daughters Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips; and Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex. 

But after closer inspection, some viewers called out a few abnormalities in the snapshot that appeared to be editing errors. For instance, NBC News' London photo editor Max Butterworth pointed out that certain areas on the couch look misaligned or uneven in the image. Butterworth also noted that part of Louis' cheek appears to be taken out and covered in black in the picture and that there is also a dark area behind George's neckline.

E! News has reached out to Getty Images and Buckingham Palace for comment but has yet to hear back. However, the palace told NBC News it's not commenting on the photo.

Getty Images' note about this photo comes after the agency, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse pulled the picture of Kate and her children that she shared on Mother's Day. 

"Making a doctored photo available for distribution to the world's media is a serious breach of trust," AFP news director Phil Chetwyndtold NBC News in an email, going on to criticize Kensington Palace. "The palace was a known and trusted source for handout pictures" but "we cannot say they are a trusted source for handout pictures" after what has occurred.  

And while he said the agency "still require further explanations" about the image, he expressed how they hope they "could rebuild this trust over time."

Meanwhile, Kate—who's mostly been keeping private after Kensington Palace announced in mid-January that she underwent abdominal surgery—has expressed how she's sorry for the puzzlement around the photo.

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, March 11. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."

To read more royal news from this year, keep scrolling.

After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored. 

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "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. C."

Princess Diana's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby.

“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. "Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today."

After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule.

The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.

The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.

While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.

"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."

The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.

On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th. 

Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.

"Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."

"His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."

Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family).

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