Originally appeared on E! Online
The photographer behind Kate Middleton's newest car photo is slamming the brakes on conspiracy theories.
Amid online speculation that the March 11 image—which showed Prince William and the Princess of Wales riding in the backseat of a Range Rover leaving Windsor Castle—had been digitally doctored to include Kate, photog Jim Bennett shared further details on how he managed to capture the buzzy moment.
"Car shots are unpredictable at the best of times," he told People March 13, "and with some reflection on the glass it can be difficult."
Bennett was expecting to photograph William, 41, on his way to London for Commonwealth Day service. However, after snapping a few pictures of the passing car, Bennett said 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."
He added, "It turned out to be Catherine!"
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As for the allegations that Kate's silhouette had been Photoshopped in the frame amid her recovery from abdominal surgery? "We don't change our photos in Photoshop," Bennett noted, "other than adjusting the light levels if necessary."
The sentiment echoed a previous statement from his agency Goff Photos, who told E! News March 12 that the pictures "have been cropped and lightened" but that "nothing has been doctored."
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Questions surrounding the photo of Kate's latest outing follows controversy over a Mother's Day U.K. portrait shared on her and William's social media accounts March 10. After major photo agencies pulled the image—which showed the 42-year-old posing with her kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5—for being "manipulated," a statement from Kate admitted that it had indeed been altered.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," read a message Kensington Palace posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
E! News has reached out to Kensington Palace for additional comment and has not heard back.
