The office of Prince William has confirmed that the official engagement photos taken by Mario Testino of the Prince with his glowing fiancée, Kate Middleton, have undergone "minimal" retouching. But this is okay because it in effect makes up for how royals don't sit for grand paintings of themselves these days.

The palace said Tuesday that the couple's appearance was not altered, but adjustments made were to light balance and contrast because "the final portraits are works of art," like the painted portraits made of previous royal generations.

In other official (and plentiful!) engagement-portrait news, Middleton, who is working really hard to keep it real, did her own makeup for the sitting with Testino. And over on the Kate Middleton hair beat, we learn that a hairdresser, Nicky Clarke, has called her style "unadventurous" in the Telegraph, which is exactly what one is supposed to think about royals. Of all people, they are not supposed to be shocking. Just well-preserved and toned.

Palace: Royal engagement shots retouched, a bit [WP]