On Monday, the Daily Mail was beside itself with glee that they got to publish a Kensington Palace-authorized photo of Prince William and a shadow they claimed was the Princess of Wales. The photo was supposedly taken on Monday, in Windsor, as William left Adelaide Cottage to be chauffeured to Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Day service. William’s staff immediately told the Mail that William was “dropping off” Kate at a “private appointment” on his way to the Abbey. The problem, as internet sleuths quickly deduced, was that there’s literally no proof that the shadowy figure is Kate, and the uncropped photo looks hella manipulated too because the brick background doesn’t match whatsoever:
Yall!? Has no one else noticed that the most recent photo of #KateMiddleton in the car… the bricks in the car windows, don’t appear to match the bricks outside the car…
Is this another photoshopped picture… can anyone find the original they clipped it from? #KateGate WTF?! pic.twitter.com/D730OsfJCI
— Indomitable (@NdomitableNegro) March 12, 2024
Before 2024, we probably would have not bothered forming much of a conspiracy theory about this. People would have noted the inconsistent bricks but, since Kate was seen regularly in public, people would have just shrugged and moved on with their day. But given all of the shenanigans – a missing princess, a scandalous Frankenphoto, Kensington Palace’s loss of credibility – it seems quite sane to question what the hell is going on with this dumb photo. Well, the New York Post spoke to the photographer, who swore up and down that the photo is legit and not manipulated.
The paparazzo who snapped the pic of Kate Middleton riding alongside Prince William in a car Monday is speaking out to quash online conspiracy theories that the photo was doctored.
“We don’t change our photos in Photoshop other than adjusting the light levels if necessary,” photographer Jim Bennett told The Post. Bennett said he and a partner were hired by a news outlet to get a shot of Prince William heading to Westminster Abbey for a royal event.
“The cars left Windsor Castle and I photographed them a short distance away on Datchet High Street — outside No. 39, to be precise!” he said. “Car shots are unpredictable at the best of times and with some reflection on the glass, it can be difficult.”
He added: “As it happened, it wasn’t until I checked on the back of the camera to make sure I had a frame of Prince William that I realized there was someone sitting next to him. It turned out to be Catherine!”
Bennett’s account addresses speculation that Middleton’s silhouette was edited into the photo – and clears up the misconception that the image was released by the royal family. Instead, it was taken by a professional photographer and then syndicated in the US by the photo agency GoffPhotos.
Sleuths have compared the profile of Middleton in Bennett’s photo to a shot of the princess at a 2016 ceremony, speculating that she was edited into the new photo alongside her husband. Others have noted inconsistencies with the pattern of bricks seen above the car and through its windows. However the Datchet High Street address provided by Bennett also seems to debunk suspicions of forgery. Though the grouting between the bricks does appear inconsistent in the photo, closer inspection of the building shows an outer brick wall at car level, which has notably different grouting than what is visible on the building itself higher up.
When one conspiracy dies, ten more rise from the ashes – so, let’s assume that the brick issue has been solved and that the brick wall background has been explained. I’ll even go so far as saying that I believe that he didn’t Photoshop the back of Kate’s head into the photo. This is legitimately a photo of William in the backseat with a woman who turned away from the camera. It’s also worth noting that if Bennett got the call to go to this one place and take Huevo’s photo, then the whole thing was probably a set-up from start to finish, which we knew already given the palace briefing to the Mail. KP told the Mail: send a photographer to this location to get this photo. The Mail sent a stringer and packaged the whole thing with Kensington Palace’s approval. After KP leaned so hard on every British outlet to get them to refuse to publish the pic of Kate and Carole last week, this was the quid pro quo, another palace-authorized photoshoot. So much for respecting the sanctity of Kate’s privacy and her delicate recovery. That’s over now!
Photographer who snapped Kate Middleton hits out at claims image was doctored: ‘We don’t change our photos’ https://t.co/XQ4XhtGiiz pic.twitter.com/klGN4qdMxX
— New York Post (@nypost) March 12, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
London, United Kingdom -18/09/2022. Prince George and his sister Charlotte are seen in a car with their Mother Kate the Princess of Wales and the Queen Consort as it follows the cortčge of the late Queen Elizabeth the II is pulled past the Houses of Parliament after her funeral at Westminster Abbey, Westminster.,Image: 724154458, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Joshua Bratt / Avalon 
Westminster, London, UK, 22nd Nov 2022. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, rides in a carriage with William, Prince of Wales. Members of the Royal Family, including the King and Queen Consort, and Prince and Princess of Wales, together with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, ride in carriages along the Mall to Buckingham Palace, for the State Visit of President Ramaphosa. They are accompanied by the Kings’ Troop and military bands for the occasion.,Image: 739351662, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter / Avalon 
His Royal Highness – William – The Prince Of Wales and Her Royal Highness Catherine – The Princess of Wales depart Buckingham Palace to meet with The President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa – Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK on Tuesday 22 November, 2022.,Image: 739357391, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
HRH King Charles III, Queen Camilla, William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Prince of Wales receive President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol during the state visit ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade in London, UK, 21 November 2023,Image: 823419093, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock / Avalon 
HRH King Charles III, Queen Camilla, William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Prince of Wales receive President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol during the state visit ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade in London, UK, 21 November 2023,Image: 823425911, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock / Avalon 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The British Royals leaving Buckingham Palace for Xmas lunch with HRH The Queen. Pictured: Prince William – Catherine Duchess of Cambridge – Kate Middleton – Princess Charlotte BACKGRID USA 18 DECEMBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Duchess of Cambridge spotted the morning after Meghan Markle accused her of making her cry. She was spotted driving into Kensington Palace. In her explosive interview with Oprah, Meghan also addressed how she was treated differently in the press saying, ‘We’ve all had to deal with some things that are rude,’ rude and racist are not the same.” Pictured: Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 8 MARCH 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MJ Pictures / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Ceremonial welcome for the State Visit to the UK by the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, at Horse Guards Parade in London. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 22 Nov 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
The Prince and Princess of Wales leave Buckingham Palace, central London, on day one of the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW5hboFxe8%2Bhpq2nl6eusbTEq5acpJGeurSr06GcmKWfo7Gixb6pn6isn5S8p6vPq6Cnm5WUxKq4y6KYppeblsGmq8islqWdl57BcA%3D%3D