Conspiracy theorists on social media have used Meghan and Harry’s Christmas card to spread wild suspicions about the couple, including a ridiculous accusation that they used AI or “borrowed” children to play Archie and Lilibet.
A group of Twitter critics of the Sussexes have insisted that a photo has been ‘digitally altered’ and have made the bizarre and baseless claim that the decision to show their two children from behind is less a matter of privacy and more about the fact that they don’t exist.
A conspiracy theorist said the Sussexes had decided to ‘rent a child for the holidays’ in a pile-up that also commented on Archie and Lilibet’s height and hair color as they are so rarely seen in public.
Many Twitter users crudely flagged the photos with what they perceived as inaccuracies, using childish scribbles.
But a Photoshop expert told MailOnline today that the photo looked real. And a leading Fleet Street photographer said that while it is ‘very staged’ to make them look like ‘the perfect family’, he doesn’t believe it was created using AI.
After the Princess of Wales admitted in March that she edited her official Mother’s Day portrait, released by Kensington Palace.
As a result, there is more attention on Harry and Meghan’s photos, especially that one showed Princess Lilibet running into Prince Harry’s waiting arms, while Meghan, 42, held her arms open for a hug from Prince Archie.
Some questioned the angle of Meghan’s feet and the length of the left arm, as well as Archie’s legs and stride, Lilibet’s gait and even the quality of the image to claim the charming photo is “fake.”
Several critics highlighted that the photos are deliberately low resolution to hide inconsistencies – rather than being small and printed on a card.
A close-up of the Sussexes’ family photo, which also shows their three dogs. One expert told MailOnline it was impossible to tell due to the small size, but added that it looked real
This social media user focused on the length of Meghan’s left arm. Others were unsure about the angle of her limb
There were also comments about Archie’s feet and legs
A social media user circled one of the couple’s dogs and said it looked like it had three legs
Conspiracy theorists also pointed to the angle of Meghan’s feet in relation to her body and Lilibet’s gait.
Season’s Greetings from Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation showcased the highlights of the Sussexes’ year, including photos from their four-day visit to Colombia in August
A Twitter user who called herself a royal historian said: ‘Meghan’s arm is twice as long as a normal arm.
‘The black dog has 3 legs and a strange glittering edge on its body.
‘Archie went from dark auburn hair to dead straight ginger hair.
‘Meghan’s feet are pointed forward, but her torso is to the side.
‘Both children are exactly the same height despite a two-year age difference’,
Twitter is incredibly immersed in the images of the SussexesUncle made baseless claims that the king’s grandchildren don’t even exist, so replacements were needed as needed.
One dubious royal fan claimed: ‘Archie hasn’t grown in two years and is the same size as his younger sister… What kind of rubbish is this?’
Another said: ‘Who thought this scene with such OBVIOUS staging was a good idea?’
Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales apologized and the photo was pulled amid speculation that changes had been made to the left sleeve of Princess Charlotte’s cardigan, George’s arm, Louis’ hands and other parts of the photo that were also raised concerns about possible manipulation.
The couple’s three dogs were also part of the family portrait released Monday. But some claimed the animals were added later.
Several social media users claim to have run it through a tool that suggests it is an AI image.
Another Twitter user said the photos were deliberately “poor quality” as part of a “cunning PR ploy to build intrigue.”
British Photoshop expert James Middleton, who is not related to Kate Middleton, said the size of the image on the card makes it virtually impossible to know if it has been edited.
He told MailOnline: ‘It will be very difficult to determine its authenticity,’ adding that because it is one of six images on a small card, it is ‘far too small’ to analyze in the way to which Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day image could do just that. are.
He added: “Meghan looks a bit painted on. It could just be a trick of the light because she’s so spotted and her white sweater.’
But he dismissed a major conspiracy, saying: “I think the position of her feet seems right and where they should be.”
Photographer Glenn Gratton, who runs leading photo agency W8 Media, said: ‘It’s very staged and a moment that makes them look like the perfect family.
“Meghan hugs the boy. Harry hugs the girl. They have three dogs with them and they are all together on the perfect ride on a sunny day in California. It’s all too perfect.
‘It’s an image for the Instagram world we live in now. It’s not AI, but I have no doubt it’s been retouched, just like many other people retouch their own Christmas cards before sending them out.”
A photo of the Duchess of Sussex during a visit to a nursery school in Colombia
The reactions to the map are mainly very positive.
Reacting to the image, royal fans said they couldn’t believe how old Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, had grown – with Harry and Meghan’s children rarely seen in public.
One comment read: ‘The kids are so big.’
Another person added: “Look at the kids. They’ve grown so much.’
A third X user noticed the children’s bright red hair, just like their father, the Duke of Sussex.
The card also included a personal message from the Sussexes, which read: ‘On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Archewell Productions and Archewell Foundations.
‘We wish you very happy holidays and a joyful New Year.’
Several people were thrilled to see a “glimpse of the kids” on the new card, with one person adding, “So cute to see a photo of their kids.”
“They really are redheads!”
Another response read: ‘Okay, of course I went straight to the picture of the kids!! Red heads!! Just like my grandchildren!! I love it!!”
A third user exclaimed, “Omg. Er (sic) babies have such red hair!!”
Prince Harry plants a kiss on Meghan’s forehead in a photo taken during their four-day visit to Colombia in August
The Sussexes during their visit to Nigeria in May
Prince Harry and Meghan recently released their Netflix docuseries on polo, which has been widely panned by critics
Prince Harry during a visit to the wards of the Nigerian military hospital in Kaduna
While their new ‘holiday’ card celebrates some of the couple’s milestone moments, Harry and Meghan’s latest project – a Netflix docuseries about chic polo – has received scathing reviews from critics.
The five-part docuseries, which was released on December 10, revolves around the run-up to the Polo World Cup in Florida and focuses mainly on players such as Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Timmy Dutta and Nacho Figueras.
The documentary, part of Harry and Meghan’s £80 million deal with Netflix, promised it would show the “true depth and spirit of the sport” as well as the “intensity of the high-stakes moments”.
However, following its release, any hopes of Polo joining the ranks of major sports documentaries such as Disney+’s Welcome to Wrexham and 2020’s The Last Dance were quickly dashed – with critics largely panning the ‘boring’ series.
The program received two or fewer stars across the board and has been labeled ‘a boring look at polo polo’ and a ‘mostly boring take on a sport that very few people outside elite circles have any particular interest in’. .
Harry and Meghan, who served as executive producers on the series, appear in the eye-catching, you-miss-it documentary, with fans having to wait until episode five to catch a glimpse of the couple.
Ed Power of The Telegraph noted that there were ‘not enough Sussexes to make it anything other than a dull indulgence about the pursuit of a rich person’.
Earlier this month it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan will not be joining the royal family for Christmas this year as they are reportedly not invited to the festivities.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not received an invitation to the royal family’s Christmas at Sandringham, it has been reported.
They are expected to spend the holidays in America with their children Archie and Lilibet.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to Montecito, California, after stepping down as senior members of The Firm in January 2020.
Meghan previously revealed how the Sussexes celebrate the holidays in America in an interview with Marie Claire, noting that the festivities are always “low-key.”
She said: “We always make sure we have something to do,” the Duchess told the magazine. ‘Just like any other family, you spend time with a delicious meal and then what do you do? Play games, all the same, someone brings a guitar – fun.’
The former Suits actress also emphasized the importance of making “space at the table for your friends who don’t have family,” like feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who once joined the Sussexes’ Thanksgiving feast.
Meghan, who married Harry in 2018, added that it is important to the couple that Archie and Lilibet experience the “magic” of festive traditions such as handing out “carrots for the reindeer” at Christmas.