King Charles is at the center of a political storm after House Democrats released a cropped version of an old photograph that cuts him out of a frame featuring Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Bill Gates.
The original image, taken by Getty Images photographer Dominic Lipinski at a malaria summit in London in 2018, clearly included her alongside Andrew and Gates.
Instead of using the intact photo in the latest batch of images released by the U.S. House Oversight Committee, Democrats opted for a version with Charles cropped out.
The move caused confusion online, with critics questioning the editorial choice, although officials stressed there was no suggestion of wrongdoing by the people featured in the newly released photos.
The cropped image is among 19 recently shared photographs from the estate of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a controversial set that also includes photos of high-profile figures such as Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.
In a striking photo covered by major media outlets, Trump appears with several unidentified women, his face adorned with a bowl of novelty condoms, details that have made headlines as the committee pushes for public transparency.
Oversight committee members say their tens of thousands of photos from Epstein’s estate are being released to illuminate the financier’s ties to powerful figures.
Republicans, however, argue that Democrats are selectively picking images to score political points.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, says the goal is to end what he calls a “White House cover-up” and force the Justice Department to release all relevant documents.
