A Christmas card issued by the Spanish royal family has resurfaced online, leaving fans in hysterics thanks to its poor Photoshopping.
The photo, which was taken in 2005, has resurfaced after the Princess of Wales yesterday admitted editing her Mother’s Day post.
In the family portrait, King Juan Carlos – who abdicated in June 2014 – is seen sitting on a red sofa next to his wife Queen Sofia, who is holding their baby granddaughter Princess Leonor.
In front of the sofa, the royal couple’s other grandchildren – Felipe, Victoria Eugenia, Miguel, Juan, Irene and Pablo – are seen sitting on green velvet cushions.
However, royal watchers noticed at the time that King Juan Carlos’ legs had been edited out of the picture.
The Spanish royal family released this photo in December 2005 – but a spokesman was later forced to admit it was edited after fans noticed King Juan Carlos was missing a leg
This prompted a Palace spokesman to admit that image editing software had been used to create the image.
After struggling to get all the grandchildren together in one room, the palace superimposed pictures of the royals on the same background for the Christmas card.
A spokesman said: ‘It’s not a photograph of an official event – it’s just a collection used as a Christmas greeting.’
Following the Princess of Wales’ admission that she had edited her Mother’s Day photo, royal journalist Eugenia Garavani shared the infamous Christmas card with her 116,000 Instagram followers.
She captioned the post: ‘Royals and photoshop, say no more. This is the Spanish royal family’s 2005 Christmas card, for real.’
The post had followers in hysterics and prompted fans to point out other problems with the photo.
One said: ‘The funny thing is that (Irene) is in short sleeves and her (siblings) are in winter clothes.’
Another added: “Was ANYONE present for this photo in real life?”
Royal journalist Eugenia Garavani shared the infamous Christmas card with her 116,000 Instagram followers
A third wrote: ‘Wow! And no apologies and no regrets!’
Earlier this week, the palace had come under increasing pressure to reveal the truth behind the Mother’s Day picture after the world’s top picture and news agencies – including the PA – ‘killed’ the image over claims it had been digitally manipulated.
The picture of the mother-of-three beaming alongside Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was the first official picture of the princess since she underwent ‘scheduled abdominal surgery’ in January.
A statement from the Princess of Wales said: ‘Like many amateur photographers I occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion that the family photo we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Mother’s Day. C’
Royal sources stressed that this was ‘an amateur family photo taken by the Prince of Wales’.
Kensington Palace released the first picture of the Princess of Wales since the operation on Mother’s Day on Sunday
The Princess of Wales has admitted she edited the Mother’s Day portrait and apologized “for any confusion” it caused
They said the couple wanted to offer a ‘casual’ photo of the family together for Mother’s Day, and the princess made ‘minor adjustments’, which she has shared in her statement on social media. An aide added: ‘The Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.’
Despite calls for the original to be released, Kensington Palace said it would not re-release the unedited photograph of Kate and her children.
It comes after the PA – Britain’s most respected image agency – this morning joined the AP, AFP, Reuters, Getty Images and the EPA in withdrawing the image.
It is not the first time that the Welsh’s pictures have come under the spotlight. Last December, the family’s Christmas portrait was hit by criticism from all over the world.
It is not the first time that the Welsh’s pictures have come under the spotlight. Last December, the family’s Christmas portrait was hit by criticism from all over the world
People on social media started asking questions about the family portrait, with some pointing out what appeared to be extra legs, while others said Louis was missing a finger
In the snap, William and Kate are seen smiling with their sons Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, who are sitting in a chair at the front of the group.
Photographed by Josh Shinner, each member of the Wales family dons a white shirt, adding to the striking monochrome aesthetic.
However, eagle-eyed observers were confused when they focused on Prince Louis’ left hand and noticed that his middle finger appears to be missing.
Others raised questions about William’s legs as he appeared to have adopted a wide stance, but only his right leg was visible. Similarly, only one of Kate’s feet can be seen behind the chair Charlotte is sitting on.
Many speculated that the photo had been badly edited or photoshopped, with one social media user writing: “Although it’s a nice family photo, as soon as I looked at it I noticed Louis’ hand. He’s missing a finger.’
However, a royal source told the Mail: ‘It’s not photoshopped. It seems like he (Louis)… just bent his finger. He certainly hasn’t lost a finger – don’t worry about that!’