Sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have claimed the couple would be ‘wiped out’ for Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day Photoshop blunder.
Yesterday was The Princess of Wales admitted that she edited the portrait which was released by Kensington Palace on Mother’s Day and apologized ‘for any confusion’ the family photo has caused.
In the first official image released since her ‘scheduled abdominal surgery’ on January 16, MailOnline identified sixteen separate edits, including problems with the princess’ jeans zip and right hand – amid claims the image had been digitally altered.
While the photo has since sparked a global frenzy, a source close to Meghan and Harry has said Page six that the couple would be ‘wiped out’ for the same mishap and it ‘simply not a mistake Meghan would ever make’.
The source said: “If Harry and Meghan had ever encountered the same problem, they would have been wiped out. The same rules don’t apply to both couples.
Sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have claimed the couple would be ‘wiped out’ for Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photoshop fiasco
“This is not a mistake that Meghan would ever make … she has a keen eye and keen eye for detail.”
Meanwhile, former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole told MailOnline that the exiled British royals will enjoy Kate’s troubles, especially given their own recent popularity problems.
He said: ‘They will be laughing their sleeves off and trying to keep a straight face in public’, adding: ‘Their point man Omid Scobie has been out throwing mud pies for them’.
The news comes amid claims that Prince William took Kate’s Mother’s Day photograph in a 40-minute window on Friday before the princess edited it twice in Photoshop to ‘make it the best it could be’.
The Prince of Wales took the picture of his smiling family on a £2,900 Canon camera before Kate made edits to improve the image ahead of its public release on Instagram on Sunday.
Kensington Palace aides are said to have spent weeks plotting to release a photo of the Princess of Wales to quell vicious social media speculation about the nature of Kate’s condition since her January operation, which has deeply upset and angered the couple.
Instead, the rare royal blunder resulted in another public explosion of conspiracy theories.
Six of the world’s leading image agencies, including the Press Association, then sensationally pulled the image from their wires and libraries over concerns that ‘the source has tampered with the image’.
While the photo has since sparked a global frenzy, a source close to Meghan and Harry has told Page Six that the couple would be ‘devastated’ for the same mishap and it’s simply ‘not a mistake Meghan would ever make’
Amid the furore, the princess later issued an extraordinary mea culpa on Twitter and Instagram, admitting she ‘edited’ the photo – adding that she ‘occasionally experiments’ as an ‘amateur photographer’ and apologizing for ‘any confusion’ the photo caused.
Kate is said to have felt that honesty was ‘the best policy’ and wanted to ‘own up’ to the Photoshop blunder. The princess felt “terrible” about the picture and had tried to make it “the best it could be”, insiders told The Times – adding that she was “thinking of her own children when she edited the picture, hoping, that they looked good for their own sake’.
The princess publicly took the blame for the furore, writing yesterday: ‘Like many amateur photographers I occasionally experiment with editing.
‘I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday.
‘I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.’
Royal sources said the princess had made ‘minor tweaks’ to the photo, which she and her husband had hoped would be a lovely ‘casual’ picture to share on a special day.
‘This was an amateur family photo taken by the Princess of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day,’ the source said.
‘The Princess made minor adjustments as she shared in her statement on social media, The Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.’
William and Kate were spotted leaving Windsor for Westminster Abbey yesterday afternoon
Despite calls for the original to be published, Kensington Palace said it would not re-release the unedited photograph of Kate and her children, which itself sparked further debate.
Last night the Palace faced mounting pressure over the debacle, with claims it has damaged public confidence.
Palace aides did not detect any signs of Photoshop, but it is not believed the edits were shared with the princess’s team before it became public.
However, questions have been raised as to whether the picture was too good to be true. A red flag could have been the fact that the brilliant family portrait was shot in such a short time on Friday.
The Wales family’s busy schedule meant that the photo had to be taken while everyone was back home from various activities. A day later, Kate is said to have sent the photo out to her team.
Kate posted the apology on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram account yesterday
It is not known if any of her team could see that the photo had been edited in Photoshop, but alarm bells may have started ringing when courtiers discovered that William had taken the photo.
Without editing, it would have been quite an achievement for William to take such a captivating photo with all the family members roaring with laughter at the same time.
A plan was made to release the photo and a message from Kate herself at 9am on Sunday – but what quickly followed was 24 hours of intense scrutiny as the castle faced questions from all angles about why the family photo appeared to have been digitally manipulated.
The row overshadowed yesterday’s Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, which was led by Queen Camilla for the first time, accompanied by Prince William, in the king’s absence as he undergoes cancer treatment. His Majesty instead recorded a video message for the first time.
Yesterday, Kate was seen in the back seat of a car with her husband as he left Windsor to travel to London for two public engagements.
The Mail understands she was on her way to a ‘private appointment’ and did not accompany William in public.
Kate was later seen leaving Windsor in a car with William yesterday as he was driven to the Commonwealth Day service in London.
The princess did not attend the service, but had a private appointment.
William is set to carry out further engagements in London this Thursday.