Fact Check: Is the viral photo of Diddy, Prince Harry, and Kanye West together at a 2007 party real?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Following Sean 'Diddy' Combs' arrest on serious charges such as sex trafficking and racketeering last month, several old photos of the rapper with celebrities and political figures began making the rounds.

One image in particular that went viral and raised eyebrows featured Combs alongside Prince Harry and Kanye West.

The internet went wild with speculation. Social media users, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), began drawing hasty and unfounded conclusions about Prince Harry’s relationship with Combs. Several posts pointed to the image of the two men together, raising concerns about Harry's association with the rapper.

The truth behind the photo Diddy, Prince Harry and Kanye West

Despite the rumor mill, the photo of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Prince Harry, and Kanye West is 100% real. It’s not even some hidden or secret snapshot but a widely available image from Getty Images.

The picture was taken on July 1, 2007, at Wembley Stadium, London during a tribute concert for the late Princess Diana — Prince Harry and Prince William’s mother who had tragically passed away a decade earlier.

The image — captured by photographer Carl de Souza — captures a casual moment between the three men at the star-studded concert.

The caption on the image reads: "London, UNITED KINGDOM: US rapper Kanye West (L) poses with Prince Harry (C) and US rapper P Diddy (R) at Wembley Arena in north London, 01 July 2007, as 60,000 revelers join Princes William and Harry for the six-hour long extravaganza in memory of their late mother Diana. Prince William, who turned 25 on June 21, predicted it would be "an incredible night" of music after watching preparations being made Saturday for the event which is timed for what would have been his mother's 46th birthday. (Photo by CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)"

According to Snopes, the image is 100% authentic, and even AI detection software Hive verified that there was a 0.0% chance of it being generated by AI.

What complicated the situation, however, was how Prince Harry’s name came up in relation to Combs’ ongoing legal troubles. British tabloids, particularly The Sun, ran with sensationalized headlines suggesting that Harry had a deeper connection to Combs than the public was aware of.

But in reality, his mention in the lawsuit against Combs was minimal. The $30 million lawsuit from February this year mentions Prince Harry only in passing.

It states on page 63: "Mr. Combs was known for throwing the 'best' parties. Affiliation with, and or sponsorship of Mr. Combs’ sex-trafficking parties garnered legitimacy and access to celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians, and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry."

While this may seem alarming, it’s important to note that Harry’s involvement was fleeting at best. According to multiple sources, the prince and his brother William had long distanced themselves from Diddy's parties as they began to settle down in their personal lives.

Diddy’s invitations to Prince William and Prince Harry

Interestingly, Diddy’s association with the British princes goes back further than many realize. The music mogul had allegedly invited Harry and William to his parties when they were younger.

Journalist and author Christopher Andersen shared some juicy details with Fox News on Wednesday.

“Diddy invited both William and Harry back when, as he put it, the brothers ‘were young bucks getting into trouble themselves',” the journalist said. “Obviously, in their youth, both princes made plenty of headlines with their party animal antics at nightclubs in and around London.”

“Diddy made a point of inviting them to his parties,” Andersen continued. “But those invitations were wisely turned down, and after William and Kate [Middleton] got engaged [in 2010], Diddy got the hint and stopped inviting them altogether.”

Andersen speculated that while Harry and William were known for being regulars at London’s hottest nightclubs in their younger days, and as the royal pundit noted, “might easily have said yes and attended one of Diddy’s wild parties.” However, “thanks to their palace handlers, they dodged a bullet there,” he said. 

Combs even confirmed the invitations during a 2011 appearance on 'The Graham Norton Show'. When the host pointed out that Prince William was set to marry Middleton, Diddy admitted: "Trust me, they’re off the list."