Misan Harriman was accused of editing the Duchess of Sussex's pregnancy portrait
Kate Middleton’s editing experiment stirs up a royal photo fiasco
Royal reporter Neil Sean joins ‘The Story’ to discuss Kate Middleton’s post claiming her altered Mother’s Day photo was due to her amateur photographer editing skills.
Meghan Markle’s photographer hit back at claims that he edited a photo of the Duchess of Sussex when she announced her second pregnancy.
The former American actress and her husband Prince Harry were accused of adding a tree into the background of their family snap. The couple welcomed their daughter, Princess Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in June 2021.
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My statement after seeing the @MailOnline article. pic.twitter.com/amHGE9fI3D
— Misan Harriman (@misanharriman) March 13, 2024
Misan Harriman took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to address the allegation.
"Hey, I’ve just got back to reality from the Oscars and unfortunately there’s been an article on the Daily Mail saying that I have admitted to doctoring the pregnancy announcement portrait I took of Harry and Meghan," Harriman said in a video. "Apparently, I was switching out trees and meadows and I admitted to this in an episode of a podcast called Private Passions."
"This is crazy," said Harriman. "I was interviewed, I think it was in 2022, by Michael Berkeley on Private Passions, and we were talking about the technology I used to shoot people during lockdown. Many photographers were doing virtual shoots in those days."
Misan Harriman photographed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as the former American actress was expecting their second child, Princess Lilibet. (Max Mumby/Indigo)
Harriman accused Berkeley of "leading questions" in the interview about the couple. Harriman noted that when it comes to certain questions about the couple, he tries to "swerve, ignore, try and get back on track and say what I’m there to say rather than any intrigue and gossip."
During the four-minute video, Harriman played snippets of the podcast episode. During the segment, Harriman can be heard saying, "My most well-known virtual shoot is the portrait I took of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announcing their pregnancy." He described it as a "very joyous image."
"The technology allows you to take over a phone or an iPad," he explained. "They can hear my voice and I can press the shutter and compose with ease."
Misan Harriman explained how he photographed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during lockdown. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett)
The interviewer could be heard saying, "They weren’t actually under a willow tree, were they? They were lying outside in a meadow, weren’t they?"
Harriman replied, "Yeah they were lost in their love, at home, in their garden, comfortable, celebrating new joy. New life. The fortitude of hoping for life in life after such a loss that they went through with the miscarriage. So it was a particularly joyous image to celebrate life itself."
Harriman then looked at the camera and said, "How that exchange could amount to me admitting to doctoring an image is insidious and really dangerous journalism. Any mention of meadows and willow trees came from the person doing the interview. Not my mouth."
From left, David Oyelowo, Misan Harriman, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speak during The After LA Tastemaker | Netflix on Nov. 15, 2023, in Montecito, California. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix)
"I did my best to ignore it and focus on what I wanted to talk about," he shared. "So to see an article saying as fact that I did what I did not do is extraordinary to me. And then to try and merge it with this current news cycle of what’s happening – it’s just… tragic to see."
"It was a virtual shoot that I shot on an iPad, an 8-megapixel iPad. And the only thing that was changed is the black and white color grade," Harriman explained. "That’s it. The Daily Mail and the journalist that wrote this [accusation] has to be better than this. Dangerous and unacceptable behavior."
The accusation came amid Kensington Palace's photo crisis, which has put Kate Middleton in the middle of a social media firestorm.
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Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, apologized for editing a family photo that was released by Kensington Palace. (Max Mumby/Getty Images)
On Monday, the Princess of Wales spoke out after photo and news agencies pulled a new photo released by Kensington Palace for Mother’s Day in the U.K. due to suspicions of manipulation.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," read a message the mother of three shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram Stories.
"I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused," the 42-year-old wrote. "I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day."
The Associated Press withdrew an image of Kate Middleton and her children; Kate later apologized. (Associated Press)
The message was signed "C" for Catherine.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace, which handles the office of the Prince and Princess of Wales, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The image in question showed Middleton with her children, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte. As of Monday afternoon, it remains up on the Prince and Princess of Wales' X account.
Prince William and Queen Camilla attend Commonwealth Day Service amid the palace's photo crisis. (Henry Nicholls/Getty Images)
"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day," the caption read, signed with a "C."
The Associated Press and other news agencies began pulling the image from their websites over concerns that it was "manipulated."
"AP initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. But AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand," the news agency said.
A recent sighting of Kate Middleton only fueled speculation surrounding her hospitalization. (Max Mumby/Getty Images)
According to AP, their "editorial standards state that images must be accurate. AP does not use altered or digitally manipulated images.
"AP’s news values and principles explain that minor photo editing, including cropping and toning and color adjustments, are acceptable when necessary for clear and accurate reproduction and should maintain the authentic nature of the photograph.
"Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning. The removal of ‘red eye’ from photographs is not permissible."
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Kate Middleton, seen with her husband and three children, has been keeping a low profile as she recovers from abdominal surgery. (Chris Jackson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
When AP determined the photo appeared to have been manipulated, it issued what is known as a "photo kill," an industry term that retracted the image and instructed clients to remove the photo from their systems.
The Associated Press also announced that "no replacement photo will be sent." Fox News Digital confirmed that Reuters and Getty also pulled the photo from their sites.
The image shows Middleton sitting down as she is embraced by Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.
The palace previously shared that Kate Middleton's abdominal surgery was planned. (Samir Hussein/Getty Images)
The caption noted that the photo was taken in "2024" by Middleton's husband, Prince William, who is heir to the British throne.
Middleton was previously accused of Photoshop mishaps with her family's 2023 Christmas card, which also featured her children and Prince William. In that image, Louis appears to be missing a finger.
The princess is known for photographing the official birthday portraits of her children. In 2020, she participated in a project where she photographed Holocaust survivors with their grandchildren. In 2022, she shot a portrait of Queen Camilla for the British magazine Country Life.
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Kate Middleton last completed public duties during the holidays. (Getty Images)
Speculation about Middleton’s whereabouts and health has been running wild since January when it was announced that she had been hospitalized.
A spokesperson for Middleton previously commented on the rumors, telling Fox News Digital at the end of February, "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. The guidance in January stands that the Princess would be recuperating at home in Windsor."
Recommendations from her medical team indicated that the princess would likely not resume public duties until Easter, later this month.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven't made a public statement concerning Kate Middleton's surgery. The couple resides in California with their two young children. (James Whatling for Fox News Digital)
"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private," the original statement read. "The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible."
The Princess of Wales was first seen publicly in an unofficial capacity when she was spotted by photographers being driven in a car by her mother, Carole Middleton.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.
