Prince William Hello pics were digitally altered to give him dark mop

The thick mop of black hair Prince William is sporting on the front page of this week’s Hello magazine is largely down to lighting and the way the print was developed, according to Palace officials.

The shoot by amateur photographer Jeff Hubbard under the guidance of Rankin has raised some debate about what has happened to Prince William’s normally rather patchy blond hair.

A royal spokesman told the Daily Mail: “Studio lighting and work on colour contrasts in the prints have all contributed to the particular look.

“The prince is pleased with the results, particularly since they have been commissioned in order to help homeless men and women, which is an issue close to his heart.”

Hello magazine reports on its website: “Lighting and digital touching have all played their part which is standard practice with a piece of artwork as opposed to natural photography. ”

While this is all good clean fun, it does raise a serious point about the cavalier attitude many glossy mags have to altering editorial images. If the picture has been tweaked, they should have told the readers up front.

Clause one of the PCC Editors’ Code clearly states: “The press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.”