The British royal family and photography have been intrinsically linked for decades, with images of the royals offering insight into their lives to give the public a sense of connection to the monarchy.
Since the days of Queen Victoria in the late 19th century, photographic portraits of the royal family have been issued to authoritative news services for public consumption, as well as editorial photographers covering live news events such as royal weddings and coronations. The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace will soon host an exhibition on a century of royal photographic portraits.
Recently, social media has become a key platform for many to view photos of those in the public eye. This has led to a more laid-back way of public figures and brands presenting themselves. The royal family are no different.
Rather than the professionally shot traditional photographic portraits, the royals have started sharing more informal portraits – sometimes even taken themselves – on social media and news wire services. Kate, Princess of Wales, is a keen photographer and has taken many photos documenting the milestones of her children, which were then issued to the public.
Trained photographers take hundreds of shots to capture that one perfect image, going to painstaking lengths to ensure elements such as composition, lighting and focus are just right. Amateur photographers make mistakes, so rely on editing afterwards.
There are degrees of manipulation: anyone who has taken a photo on their smartphone knows you can hit the ‘auto adjust’ button and see your image immediately improved. The latest technology on Samsung and Google smartphones dubbed ‘best face mode’ or ‘best take’ allows you to merge the ‘best’ elements of a series of photos into one image – does your child have their eyes closed in one shot, or are they looking away at the vital moment? Select their face from another image and drop it onto your chosen picture.
Professional photo editors and photographers regularly improve images with small adjustments, with the most common example being the lightening or darkening of a photo when the initial camera exposure isn't quite right. More drastic measures, using tools such as Photoshop, can be used to make someone look slimmer, or more toned.
Such tools can allow an editor to replace an entire face on a body, or create scenes that never existed.
In this instance, a photograph taken by Prince William, and then edited by the Princess of Wales, has been released with several very obvious signs of digital adjustment.
The two areas of the photograph that show the clearest signs of digital work are around the Princess of Wales’s head and Princess Charlotte’s sleeve. Just below Princess Kate’s collar is a horizontal line running across her torso, which shows up most glaringly on the zip of her jacket, with the natural line of the zip totally broken. There are also more subtle signs of alteration around her hair. Princess Charlotte’s sleeve also appears to have been adjusted, looking as if it has faded into Princess Kate's grey sleeve.
In the current climate of speculation around the Princess of Wales’s health and even a wider distrust of image manipulation due to the rise of AI, it didn’t take long for the public and news outlets to spot the digital changes.
It also begs the question of how many other royal images have been doctored.
This may be a symptom of an amateur photographer trying to make the best of their photographic results but the errors were there for all to see.
Although you may sympathise with the idea of improving the way you and others look in a photograph, when there is such heavy public interest in a subject it can create a sense of distrust in the material. As much as the public want to see images of the royals, they need to know that what they’re seeing is real.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
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- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
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2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
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Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
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Results
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Lexus LX700h specs
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Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Year started: 2018
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Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
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6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
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