What Makes A Royal Photo Real? A Strange Detail In Every Official Image Of Diana And Charles
The recently released — and then hastily retracted — picture of Catherine, Princess of Wales and her kids to mark Mother's Day provoked a media storm once it had been realized that the image had clearly been digitally altered, and not particularly subtly, either. But messing around with programs such as Adobe Photoshop or other digital editing software isn't the only way in which officially sanctioned images can play with the truth. How images are staged can also have a huge role in helping to present a version of reality that frames their subjects in a particular light. And that practice is far from new. One pertinent illustration involves Kate's predecessor as Princess of Wales. Diana, the late ex-wife of King Charles III, could well have been the most photographed woman in the world at one point. There were plenty of paparazzi willing to snap her every move during her lifetime. That means we have a lot of pictures of the late princess, and plenty of people have pored over these since Diana’s tragic death. Now, though, folks have started to notice a strange – and telling – detail in images of Diana and Charles together. Maybe you’ve even seen it yourself...
Picture perfect
Picture the scene: the then-Prince Charles and Diana are getting ready for an official photoshoot. It’s likely been weeks if not months in the making. Every detail has been planned, every move has been choreographed and every hair has been assigned a specific angle at which to rest. Anything that we see in the shot has probably been placed to best portray the couple – or the Crown.
One strange detail
Diana and Charles have no doubt been through hair and make-up. They’ve put on their deliberately picked outfits, too. That means there’s just one last step to complete before the snapping starts. But as the royal couple finally take their positions, there’s a strange dynamic between the pair. It creates the odd detail that’s visible in almost every official picture of Charles and Diana. The detail people are only just starting to notice.
Since the beginning
It’s kind of weird that this is only coming to attention now. After all, Diana and Charles have been in the spotlight for a long time! The intense media interest in the couple began from the moment they went public with their engagement in 1981. Yet before he had asked Diana to marry him, Charles had met his beloved just a handful of times. From almost the very start of their relationship, then, the pair were public property.
Signs Of Pressure
The first inklings the media had of the romance came when Diana was spotted at Balmoral, the royal family’s Scottish estate. Then, after their engagement was announced to the world, interest in the young woman ramped up to a fever pitch. But while Diana seemed to handle her newfound attention with elegance, all was seemingly not well behind the scenes. And there were apparently early signs of the pressure Diana was under.
