Sophie and Prince Edward appear to have digitally manipulated a photo despite the controversy surrounding Princess Kate’s decision to alter her Mother’s Day photo earlier this year.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, have created a striking Christmas card that pays homage to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s time in Malta.
The card features two photographs side by side: one of the late Queen and Prince Philip during their early days in Malta when they held the Edinburgh titles, and another of Edward and Sophie taken during their October visit to the Mediterranean island.
The carefully composed images showcase the current Duke and Duchess recreating an almost identical pose to Edward’s parents, taken at Villa Guardamangia in Valletta.
In a notable editing choice, the Duke and Duchess flipped their original photograph to achieve the mirror image of the historic royal couple.
This digital manipulation is evident in Prince Edward’s double-breasted suit, where the buttons appear reversed, positioned as they would be on a woman’s jacket.
Beneath the paired images, Edward and Sophie included a personal message: “The Edinburghs at Villa Guardamangia, Valettta in Malta, some 75 years apart.
The deliberate recreation holds special significance, as Edward was named Duke of Edinburgh last year, fulfilling his parents’ wishes.
This latest instance of royal photo editing follows controversy earlier this year surrounding a Mother’s Day image released by the Princess of Wales.
The photograph, showing Catherine with her three children, was withdrawn by major picture agencies including Reuters, AP, Getty and AFP amid concerns it had been digitally manipulated.
It marked Catherine’s first official appearance in photographs following her planned abdominal surgery in January.
The Princess later addressed the situation, acknowledging that she “occasionally experiments with editing” and apologised for any “confusion” caused.
