Don't believe your eyes — fake photos have been a problem for a long time

How can you know if a photo is real?

That’s a question media outlets are facing with renewed scrutiny after two images released by Kensington Palace were found to have been digitally altered — the now-infamous photo of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, surrounded by her smiling children; and a 2022 image of Queen Elizabeth with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The former was killed by many photo agencies just hours after they published it. 

But the Royal Family is far from the only establishment that hands out images to the media. Politicians, businesses, governments, science agencies and the police do it regularly — just to