CALM THE CONSPIRACIES

Photographer Insists His Kate Middleton Car Snap Isn’t Doctored

The photo, taken through a car window as the princess was driven to London, came just a day after she admitted to poorly editing a photo in a now-infamous Mother’s Day post.

Kate Middleton conspiracies reached a fever pitch this week after the princess admitted she edited a photo that was part of a now-infamous Mother’s Day post, but the photographer of her most recent snap—of her in a car leaving Windsor Castle—is insisting that his picture wasn’t altered. The British photographer Jim Bennett told the New York Post he initially didn’t realize he’d even photographed Kate when he snapped the pic. Instead, he said he’d been dispatched to only photograph Prince William, with the presence of Kate being a surprise when he checked his frames. With pictures of the oft-photographed princess going dry in the aftermath of abdominal surgery in January, Bennett’s photo went instantly viral—sparking conspiracies that Bennett’s photo was also altered. Bennett insisted that’s not the case, adding that the only edits he gives photos for distribution is to fix lighting issues. He added that a difference in bricks in the photo—a key point mentioned by those who called the photo another fake—was because some were part of a building and the others part of a separate wall. He had no explanation for the photo’s similarities to an old photo of the Kate beyond saying he’s certain his photo is genuine.