For Cameron Getty, an assistant photo editor at WIRED, the peculiar zipper stood out as a major red flag. “I think this proves that it’s been altered,” says Getty. “You just wouldn’t get that any other way.” He pointed out an odd line across the image where Kate’s zipper disappears and suggested the image might be a composite of more than one photo.
Other image analysis experts, speaking to the BBC, also noted the inconsistencies in the zipper, in addition to a blurry spot around Princess Charlotte’s knee that appears to be inconsistent with the paving stones in the background. The BBC analyzed the image’s metadata and found that it had been saved twice in Photoshop on a Mac, “but we do not know if both of these versions were saved on the same device.”
A blurry patch near Princess Charlotte’s knee is another sign of possible image manipulation.
PHOTOGRAPH: PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES/INSTAGRAM
Does that mean the princess downloaded Adobe’s software and edited the Mother’s Day photo herself?
“Not a chance,” says Walker.
“No, that is the least believable thing about this whole story,” says Getty.
After the apology was shared online, Prince William and Princess Kate were photographed leaving Windsor Castle the same day. Those photographs have already led to a whole new wave of speculation about their legitimacy. WIRED was not able to contact the royal family via telephone before publication.
