MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry’s camp were branded “hypocrites” after wading into Princess Kate’s photoshop drama despite their own blunders.

The Princess of Wales was forced to publicly apologise on Monday after she admitted to editing a sweet Mother’s Day snap of her and Prince William’s kids.

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The Sussexes’ Valentine’s Day image shared to mark Meghan’s pregnancy with Lilibet was heavily doctoredCredit: Reuters

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Meghan and Harry were questioned by royal fans over a Christmas card they put out in 2019, where Meghan’s face seems sharply in focus compared to HarryCredit: PA

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The Princess of Wales was said to be ‘very sad’ that a happy family photo to celebrate Mother’s Day had triggered a global furoreCredit: Kensington Palace
However, a source close to the Sussexes waded into the storm yesterday, telling Page Six: “If Harry and Meghan had ever encountered the same issue they would have been annihilated.

“The same rules do not apply to both couples. This isn’t a mistake that Meghan would ever make. She has a keen eye and freakish attention to detail.”

But Kate was not the first member of the royal family to be embroiled in photo controversy.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have apparently forgotten that some of their most memorable photos were also edited.

These are the photographs of Meghan and Harry that have been accused of being edited:

Tree added to pregnany announcement
Discrepancies in their Christmas card
Harry is mocked over a People Magazine cover
Harry has a full head of hair in photos for BetterUp

Their photographer pal Misan Harriman has claimed that a picture they sent out to announce the Princess Lilibet pregnancy was not completely true.

A different backdrop including a giant willow tree was added in 2021 by Harriman, who later admitted: “It’s amazing what you can do with technology.”

Harriman confirmed in 2022 that edits were made to the couple’s official photo, said to have been taken under a huge tree in the Sussexes’ garden in Montecito, California.

He was asked on BBC Radio 3 podcast Private Passions: “They weren’t actually under a willow tree, but they were lying outside in a meadow, weren’t they, Harry and Meghan, when you took the photograph of them?”

Like Kate’s photo, the Sussexes’ black and white snap was shared around the world with no indication it had been digitally altered.

The pair have also come under suspicion over other alleged edits, including a Christmas card put on a “kill list” by a photo agency.

They had been called out for editing their own image back in 2019, when royal fans spotted odd discrepancies in their Christmas card.

It was claimed the snap – of Harry, Meghan and baby son Archie – was edited to make the Duchess’s face look clearer.

Experts also suggested her appearance may have been copied from another photo, with Harry and Meghan’s bodies seemingly out of focus.

Meanwhile, Harry was apparently afforded more hair in others.

Last year Harry appeared with a full head of thick, darker hair in portraits for coaching platform BetterUp, where he serves as “Chief Impact Officer”.

Agency photos taken just days later from a conference in Tokyo showed significant bald patches.

Princess Kate apologises for “confusion” caused by inconsistencies in family image
Princess Kate is pictured with Prince William leaving Windsor Castle this afternoon in a black Land Rover
Piers Morgan calls for the Palace to share the unedited photo to quell internet sleuths
Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith gives his verdict on Mother’s Day picture as he speaks out after CBB eviction
Photo agencies release ‘kill notice’ on Princess Kate’s Mother’s Day picture
Twitter’s warning over Princess Kate photo inconsistencies
King Charles releases video message saying he’ll ‘continue to serve you, to the best of my ability’ amid cancer battle
The Sun says lay off Kate – she just made a mistake

Harry’s headshot has since been changed on the US firm’s website.

And the Duke was also mocked over a People Magazine cover to promote gripe-ridden autobiography Spare last year.

The Duke’s sun-kissed skin, vivid eyes, and longer locks left many readers wondering if it had been touched up.

One posted: “Great work in the graphics department. He totally looks like a man who’s not bald in the middle.”

Meanwhile, the pair’s Time Magazine cover in 2021 was branded by one critic as “the most airbrushed photo I have ever seen”.

Another joked: “How nice they gave Haz lots of new hair. Maybe he is a hair-growth influencer.”

KATE’S HEALTH BATTLE

The row comes amid hurtful speculation about Kate’s health.

Kate, 42, spent two weeks at Marylebone’s London Clinic after undergoing a “planned abdominal surgery” before being discharged on January 29.

Kensington Palace announced she would step back from all official duties while she recovered in the Wales family’s Windsor home, and last week insisted she was “doing well”.

But she has not been seen at any royal events since Christmas Day, with her absence leading to speculation about her health and whereabouts.

WHY WERE ‘KILL NOTICES’ ISSUED?

News agencies ordered a “kill notice” on the picture late Sunday night.

The removal orders were sent after “manipulation” on the image was discovered.

AP’s order said the reason for killing the story was: “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”

The order then directs those who have used the photo to remove it from all platforms, including social.

Agence France-Press ordered the “mandatory kill” due to an “editorial issue” and directed that the image may no longer be used.

Reuters said the photo “has been withdrawn following a post publication review.”

Getty Images said: “For editorial reasons, please remove the following image(s) from your system and do not use in any manner.”

Getty said its picture desk “identified a problematic image” provided by the palace and removed it from its site “in accordance with our editorial policy.”

PA said: “Like other news agencies, PA Media issued the handout image provided by Kensington Palace of the Princess of Wales and her children in good faith yesterday.

“We became aware of concerns about the image and we carried a report about it last night, and made clear that we were seeking urgent clarification about the image from Kensington Palace.

“In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.”

Each of the news agencies have their own editorial guidelines which govern how they treat images.

AP says that pictures “must always tell the truth” and that it does not alter or manipulate the content of a photograph in any way.

Its guidelines say: “The content of a photograph must not be altered in PhotoShop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph.”

However, AP says minor adjustments are allowed, they include cropping, colour adjustments, and light adjustments.

If Kate recuperates according to schedule then her first engagement back could be at the family service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024.

However, sources have claimed her commitment to her royal duties could see her get back into work as soon as she can.

Following her operation in January 2024, a statement from Kensington Palace said: “Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

Meanwhile, Kate’s hubby Prince William is to attend the 25th anniversary of the Diana Legacy Awards at London’s Science Museum today.

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Harry and Meghan have been embroiled in their own photoshop sagasCredit: EPA

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Editing rumours have also ­surrounded the pair’s Time Magazine cover in 2021Credit: Reuters

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A version of the photo lightened by The Sun (right) seems to show even more clearly that Meghan’s face had been added on

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PA Media sent out a ‘Picture Kill’ notice for media outlets to stop using the snapCredit: PA