I’m a royal photographer – here’s what I can tell you about that shot of Kate Middleton

The photo that was meant to knock the conspiracy theories on the head has done quite the opposite – but it’s not the first time it’s happened, writes Ian Lloyd, who’s been snapping the royal family for more than 20 years

‘They should have pinged the photo across to a trusted professional to make it OK for public consumption,’ writes Ian Lloyd (Prince of Wales)

Smile, kids, and no funny faces please!” How Kate must have been thrilled with the happy Mother’s Day shot. Normally the snapper of the family, the Princess of Wales left this one to her husband. He didn’t do a bad job. At least they are all in focus. There’s great eye contact, and it’s perfectly framed.

Then, like the rest of us taking a group shot, they zoomed in and thought, “what a shame, Louis’s bent his finger back”; “we should have rolled Charlotte’s sleeve back”; and “don’t the trees look a bit wintry”.

At this point, they should have pinged the photo across to a trusted professional to make it OK for public consumption. Instead, they’ve tinkered with it themselves – and, it would appear, made a bit of a hash of it.