Photographers reveal what they think REALLY went wrong with Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo: Was it Prince William using an AI tool, sloppy editing by Palace staff or a series of pictures ‘spliced together’ to create the ‘perfect family portrait’?

The Princess of Wales’ Mother’s Day portrait is so full of mistakes and so ‘sloppily’ edited that it should never have seen the light of day, experts told MailOnline today.

Prince William has been urged to release the original photo he took after at least 16 mysterious tamperings were discovered in the 24 hours since its release.

The innocent Mother’s Day photo of the Princess of Wales and her three children has sparked an international scandal after most of the world’s major image agencies ‘killed’ the image, questioning its integrity.

Kensington Palace has yet to comment, but photographers have had their say on what they think happened and digitally altered.

Some believe Prince William used an artificial intelligence tool such as ‘Best Take’, found on a top-of-the-line £1,059 Google Pixel 8 phone, which combines a series of images into one perfect image to ensure everyone those in the pictures are smiling and have their eyes open e.g. But this can lead to blurred lines and errors in the final images.

Others have blamed ‘sloppy’ use of Photoshop or other computer software, such as Topaz, routinely used to enhance images.

A photographer told MailOnline today that one of the few things the public can be sure of about the controversial photo is that Kate sat with her children for the portrait. But Katie Mortimore believes it was then hugely ‘manipulated’ to create the ‘perfect family picture’.

Paul Clarke said he wondered if it was so drastically altered that even the ‘snot on a sleeve’ of a royal child or other mark may have been removed to perfect every element of the final released image.

MailOnline can reveal the verdicts of leading experts from around the world on the ‘CuffGate’ scandal, named because Princess Charlotte’s left hand was incorrectly fitted to the sleeve of her cardigan, casting doubt on the image’s authenticity and leading to the rare ‘kill’ alert’ what a royal image.

Photo is manipulated using two or more images and software

Photographer Katie Mortimore believes the image has been heavily altered using software.

She said: ‘The image is clearly doctored. What is not clear is whether it is a combination of two identical frames to look best or is a fabrication in parts.

“Personally, I’m pretty sure the Princess of Wales was sitting in the chair with her children, but without her arms around them. To be fair with the recent major abdominal surgery, that kind of reach of both arms would probably be painful.

‘I don’t think this is the first doctored image from the palace BUT this coincides with the Princess’ illness so it only raises more questions rather than removing them.

‘The Palace would be best to release the raw image to agencies, but I would be surprised to see that happen. Why was the image manipulated? I suspect that the princess did it as a keen photographer who wanted to create an almost perfect family picture’.

Google Pixel AI tool used

Patrick Whitty, who takes photos for the New York Times, TIME and National Geographic tweeted: ‘My guess is it was taken with the Google Pixel 8, with the “Best Take” feature, which selects the “best face” for each person and automatically merge them into one image.

‘There are so many red flags in this photo from Kensington Palace. Surprised the wires would move it

Clean up with a ‘clone tool’

Freelance photographer Paul Bevan tweeted: ‘I don’t think it’s risky. Someone tried to clean up the image a bit and used the clone tool and didn’t use it very well and they were pushed for time to get the image out. I would like to see the original version’.

Images taken at a single exposure were combined

Jon Mills, Group Picture Editor for SWNS, Britain’s second largest news agency, told MailOnline: ‘But Palace ended up releasing this particular picture, it’s really clumsy editing, it wasn’t done by a professional.

“However, the quality of the image is consistent, so my best guess is that elements from images taken at a single shoot were combined. It probably shows the pressure the Prince of Wales is under to show his family in the best light rather than any attempt to deceive’.

Removing snot on a sleeve?

Paul Clarke, one of Britain’s most experienced photographers, said problems can be caused by the search for a perfect image and perhaps attempts to clean up imperfections.

‘Here we have puzzling decisions about the making of the picture and it’s sloppy editing (a bit of snot on the sleeve? who knows) that just doesn’t make much sense,’ he tweeted.

‘There are several 100% certain photo manipulations that are easily visible in that Kate photo. What were they thinking?’