Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have broken their silence on the Princess of Wales’s photo-editing spree by denying that sources in their camp have made comments about how the Duchess of Sussex might have handled a similar situation.
Amid mounting speculation surrounding the Mother’s Day image of Kate and her children, which was released to the world by Kensington Palace on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation spoke out to deny that a source close to the couple had made comments about the controversy on Page Six.
Speaking to Newsweek, the spokesperson addressed quotes published by the newspaper stating that a source “close to Prince William, Harry and his wife” was not from the Sussexes’ camp.
The source in question stated that the editing error is “not a mistake Meghan would ever make” and noted that “she has a keen eye and a whimsical attention to detail.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (seen in February) have broken their silence on the Princess of Wales’ photo editing frenzy
The now infamous photoshopped Mother’s Day image of the Princess of Wales and her children – the first public image of her since her operation
However, Archewell’s official spokesperson has now insisted on it Newsweek that the information shared with Page Six “did not come from us,” simply saying, “As far as Page Six is concerned, that did not come from us.”
The statement marks the first time Harry, 39, and his wife have officially discussed the photo editing controversy in any official capacity.
In addition to claims that Meghan would ‘never make the same mistake’, Page Six also published quotes from an insider who said the Sussexes would have been ‘destroyed’ if they had released a similarly edited image.
“If Harry and Meghan had ever faced the same problem, they would have been destroyed,” the source quotes read.
‘The same rules do not apply to both couples.
“This is not a mistake Meghan would ever make… she has a keen eye and a whimsical eye for detail.”
However, the outlet did not mention that the quotes came from within Archewell — and Newsweek noted that the comments could have been made by an acquaintance of the Sussexes who is not officially connected to the Foundation.
Meghan and Harry’s response to these claims came after an explosion of conspiracy theories after six of the world’s top photo agencies, including the Press Association, sensationally withdrew the photo from their telephone networks and libraries amid concerns that the ‘source manipulated the image’ .
DailyMail.com identified 16 separate edits to the image, including issues with the Princess’s jeans zipper and with Princess Charlotte’s hand and skirt
The Princess of Wales stated on Instagram that she was responsible for editing the image, while apologizing for “any confusion the… photo caused.”
Princess Kate publicly took the blame for the family photo released by Kensington Palace on Sunday, as she apologized for the “confusion” in a statement on Wales’ official Instagram account.
‘Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. “I wanted to apologize for any confusion the family photo we shared yesterday caused,” she wrote.
“I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Mother’s Day,” Kate concluded, before signing off with a ‘C’ statement for Catherine.
The photo of the mother-of-three beaming with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was the first official photo released of the princess since she underwent “planned abdominal surgery” on January 16.
Despite calls to publish the original, Kensington Palace said it would not reissue the unedited photo of Kate and her children.
In the wake of public speculation surrounding the image, royal insiders have claimed that the Princess of Wales is keen to move on from the row – and is struggling to cope with the aftermath.
Kate was spotted for the first time since the image was released on Monday, when she was pictured leaving Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince William.
It is understood the Princess of Wales was traveling to a ‘private appointment’ – while Prince William was due to travel to London for two public engagements.