King Charles’ ex-butler instantly defends William, Kate photo blunder

King Charles’ 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 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.

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,” Grant clarified.

"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 added, finishing the statement with a warning that "AI can be hard to detect."