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LONDON DAILY ARCHIVE

International news agencies removed a photo of Kate Middleton and her children, after discovering it was faked by AI-falsified before published by the British Royal House.

At first glance, everything in the photo looks perfect - Middleton, smiling, sits in a chair surrounded by her three children, Princes George, Charlotte, and Louis. Initially, the focus of palace fans was on the Duchess of Wales's clenched hand, not wearing her engagement ring - a rarity since her engagement to William in 2010.

11 March 2024 · 20:40 UTC

However, just hours after the photo was published, the cheap artificial intelligence errors used were revealed by overseas news sites. The most noticeable "accident" is on Princess Charlotte's sleeve. A closer look reveals that her hand is completely disconnected from the sweater she wore. Another editing mistake can easily be seen in the 8-year-old princess's skirt, which is blurred from edits on its lower side. Keen observers noticed another editing error, this time on the clasp of the Duchess of Wales, which is both severed and not straight.

It's worth noting that this isn't the first time an official royal photo taken and published by the royal family has undergone Photoshop - but it's definitely the first time that royal fans are convinced it was produced by artificial intelligence. The reason for the concerns, as mentioned, is Middleton's mysterious disappearance in January and the fact that she hasn't been seen in public since. Following the discovery of the disturbing digital forgery - overseas agencies decided to withdraw the princess's photo. "The news agency 'Reuters' could not immediately determine how, why, or by whom the change was made," the agency stated, adding that there is a clear prohibition on publishing overly edited photos. "We use only a very small part of our capabilities to design images, mainly reflected in cropping and balancing the tone of the color." Kensington Palace refused to comment.