King Charles's former butler has been forced to issue a statement after he shared a photograph of the Prince and Princess of Wales that turned out to be AI-generated.
Grant Harrold, 48, worked as King Charles and Queen Camilla's royal butler from 2004 to 2011, before being made redundant. His time in the royal household also saw him serve the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, and other members of the royal family.
Now turned broadcaster and royal commentator, he often shares pictures from his time with the royals, most recently what appeared to be an image of Prince William and Kate in the early days of their relationship.
"This wonderful photo of the Prince and Princess of Wales was taken when I first met them back in 2004. A true royal love story," he shared on Instagram.
However, royal fans soon speculated it looked AI-generated, due to some blurry aspects and awkward angles.
A royal source told the Daily Mail's Richard Eden even claimed that "questions" were being raised over the photo behind the scenes.
Commenting on the picture, one person wrote: "I don't even know what's real anymore."
"This is AI", said one, with another commenting, "it seems like a collage."
Official statement
Grant quickly took to social media to issue clarification.
He said: "After reading a few comments, I would like to reiterate that I did not take or own this image. It is how I remember them in my early years in the Royal Household.
"I did not take or own the image of William and Kate that I posted. I always try to do my due diligence before sharing any posts – to me, I only saw in this image a young William and Kate that reminded me so much of how they were when I first had the pleasure of working for them.
© Instagram / @the_royal_butler"I genuinely mistook this to be an authentic image of the pair. On seeing it, it made me smile and I wanted to share this joy with you."
He finished the statement with a warning that "AI can be hard to detect".
© GettyHELLO! has reached out to Grant Harrold for comment.
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Early days of William and Kate's romance
While the picture Grant posted turned out to be fake, William and Kate's romance did become public in 2004, the same year that the butler joined the royal household.
© GettyWilliam and Kate's relationship became public knowledge when they were pictured together during a holiday with the royals at the Swiss ski resort of Klosters.
They had first met three years earlier at the University of St Andrews on the same Art History course, and were close friends before things turned romantic.
Following a brief split in 2007, the couple tied the knot in 2011 in Westminster Abbey in front of millions. They later welcomed their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight.
