Royal bride and groom DID have the final say in those Hello! photos

Final approval for photos used in the controversial Hello! royal wedding deal was down to Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly themselves, it was revealed yesterday.

The couple's decision to pocket £500,000 for exclusive rights to Saturday's ceremony has already been roundly criticised.

Now it has emerged they gave the go-ahead for the magazine to use pictures of the Queen, other senior members of the Royal Family as well as dozens of shots of Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy.

Senior royals had already made clear they would not pose for Hello! photographers and Princes William and Harry have expressed their anger over the pictures involving their girlfriends.

A source told the Mail: 'Peter and Autumn were allowed the final say over what photographs were used. It seems the buck stops with them.'

It is not clear whether the couple approved them in person the day after the ceremony at Windsor Castle or if it was done by phone or through a royal representative.

Friends insist they would never have knowingly embarrassed the Queen but the development fuels concern in royal circles the couple knew the extent of the coverage.

'One would hope they are guilty merely of naivety. Peter has grown up as a member of the Royal Family without any of the flak that comes with it. Maybe he just isn't as streetwise as he thinks,' said a senior royal source.

'But there are some who believe he and Autumn knew exactly what they were doing. It doesn't take a genius to work out that such a highprofile glossy magazine, paying such a significant amount of money, is going to want a guarantee about the guest list and the pictures.'

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the row, saying it is a matter for the couple, who are on honeymoon. But courtiers have suggested that the Queen was an unwitting 'victim' of the spread, which takes up 100 pages of this week's edition.

It features several photos of senior royals, notably the Queen, taken inside St George's Chapel where the wedding was held.

There are another 19 of Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy, many of which are spread over two whole pages. Chelsy can be seen gazing adoringly at Prince Harry while Kate is also shown chatting intently to the prince and his girlfriend.