Last month, Prince Harry and Meghan Sussex, went to Australia. Soon after, AI images of the couple exploded across social media. Businesses, not just ordinary users, promoted these images in ways that could imply endorsements the couple never gave. Fortunately, most fans spotted the fakes. Some did believe them, though. This episode shows the power of AI and the new reality that famous people face. It is a bigger issue than the Kate Middleton Photoshop scandal of 2024. Until now, most mainstream royal coverage has treated AI royal images as something to criticise, not something to amplify.
Former Royal Butler Posts Questionable William And Kate Photo
Grant Harrold, a former royal butler, posted a romantic-looking Prince William and Kate image that critics quickly accused of being AI-generated or fake. Harrold promoted a memoir last year that leaned heavily into royal-rift material about Harry and Meghan. He now contributes to Piers Morgan’s “Royal Uncensored” network.
Many Wales fans, frustrated by the lack of official content, use AI imagery to promote William and Kate on social media. They usually produce images where Kate looks glamorous but unrecognizable, and William has more hair. Harrold appeared to join the trend by posting an old-looking image of a young Prince William and Kate Middleton sitting closely together indoors. Kate has her arms around William. Both smile at the camera. The post gained thousands of likes and hundreds of reposts. When people questioned the image’s authenticity and pointed to possible AI signs, Harrold quickly backtracked.
Richard Eden Calls Out the Questionable Image
Harrold later clarified that he did not take or own the image. He only said it matched his memories of the couple. Critics have accused the photo of being AI-generated. Harrold has not, from what I have seen, confirmed that. What he has confirmed is damaging enough: he did not take or own the image.
Richard Eden, a noted anti-Sussex critic and royal reporter, took issue with Harrold’s post. He pointed out that Harrold presented the photo as taken in 2004 during his early service. According to Eden, Harrold “said ‘it was taken when I first met them’, leaving the impression that he took it.”
“The image was then shared by journalist Katie Nicholl, the ex-butler’s co-host on Piers Morgan’s new YouTube series, Royals Uncensored. She commented: ‘Love this!'”
“But a well‑placed royal source is unsure about its authenticity, saying: ‘I can see why questions are being asked by others.’ Kensington Palace did not comment.”
“After I contacted Harrold, he admitted: ‘I did not take or own this image. It’s how I remember them in my early years in the Royal Household.'”
“Harrold began working for Charles at his Highgrove estate before being made redundant seven years later. He then received an undisclosed settlement after alleging unfair dismissal and workplace bullying.”
Daily Mail, Richard Eden
It is fair to note that both Eden and Harrold work for large YouTube channels that regularly platform negative commentary about Harry and Meghan while presenting taxpayer-funded royals in a far more flattering light. That context matters. If the image was not taken or owned by Harrold, where did it come from? Was it used simply because it created engagement? Are royal commentators, including Katie Nicholl, whose past reporting has come under scrutiny in Prince Harry’s lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, becoming part of a wider ecosystem where questionable or unverified royal content circulates for clicks?
So why did the Butler do it?
Maybe it was for clicks or nostalgia bait. Maybe it was part of a wider effort to manufacture warmth around William and Kate at a time when polished royal romance content gets rewarded online. Walk with me here. Harry and Meghan celebrated their 8th anniversary recently. This infuriated critics who had predicted an imminent divorce. The couple also exposed the love narrative that the media has tried to destroy since Meghan arrived. Harry and Meghan’s love story comes with many receipts. Videos, photos, and memories prove their strong bond. The world can see and feel inspired, and future historians and romantics will study it in the future.
Now contrast this with the Prince and Princess of Wales. Kate and William had a turbulent on-and-off relationship. She waited to be his bride while William sowed his royal oats. Royal books and commentary have long suggested William hesitated for years before proposing, while Kate endured the public ‘Waity Katie’ narrative. Kate eventually received Diana’s famous sapphire engagement ring after years of public humiliation.
Meghan waited only one year for her ring. Harry actually designed it himself, a custom three-stone piece with deep personal meaning. That contrast is exactly why the manufactured ‘perfect royal love story’ content feels so forced.
Related Stories
Final Thoughts
The issue is not just one questionable image of William and Kate. The issue is the ecosystem around it. Grant Harrold shared a romantic-looking photo, letting people believe it was tied to his time in the royal household, then clarified that he did not take it and did not own it. That should have been the story. Instead, the image had already done its job. It gave Wales fans another piece of “true love story” content to circulate, even as basic questions about its origin remained unanswered.
That’s important because royal media spends so much time pretending it cares about truth, authenticity and dignity. These are the same people who dissect every photo, video and caption from Harry and Meghan Sussex as if they are running a forensic lab. But when content flatters William and Kate, suddenly the standards get very loose.
The bigger question is why this content is needed at all. If William and Kate’s love story is so convincing, why does it need questionable nostalgia posts to sell it? Why are royal commentators and online boosters so eager to manufacture warmth around a couple the public rarely sees looking relaxed, affectionate or spontaneous?
Harry and Meghan’s love story has always been treated as suspicious because it is visible, documented and emotionally obvious. William and Kate’s is treated as sacred even when people have to reach for old, unclear, or possibly fake imagery to prove it. That double standard is the real story. The royal machine does not just protect certain people. It manufactures romance for them, then calls it truth.
Discover more from Feminegra
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.