Is the Sussex family photo too picture-perfect to be real?
A holiday card posted at the beginning of the week by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has become the subject of numerous discussions, with some doubting the authenticity of their family photograph. A few internet users even speculate that the couple might have hired actors to replace Archie and Lilibet...
For many years, members of the British royal family, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have upheld the tradition of sending holiday wishes to fellow Britons via elegantly designed cards. These annual cards feature new photographs of the royals in unique settings. Last year, there was a lot of buzz regarding a graphic designer's error while editing photos, accused of removing the middle finger from the left hand of Kate and William's youngest son.
Prince Harry, despite distancing himself from his royal lineage, still preserves some well-known customs. One of these is sharing a holiday card. This year, alongside Meghan Markle, they continued this tradition. Through this gesture, they succeeded in momentarily diverting attention from their alleged marital issues, as keen observers of the red-haired prince and his wife focused on new images of their rarely seen children.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accused of hiding their children's identities
The Sussexes sent wishes for a joyful holiday season and prosperity in the coming year, adorning them with a collage of photos, primarily highlighting their achievements with their jointly managed Archewell Foundation. Internet users were most fascinated by the central frame, which depicts their 5-year-old son Archie and 3-year-old daughter Lilibet running towards their parents, who await them with open arms. The family photo is further sweetened by the presence of three pet dogs.
Meanwhile, a certain sceptical group of users on platform X began propagating baseless speculations suggesting that the photo had undergone several edits. Critiques included Meghan's seemingly elongated left arm and the unnatural angle of her feet in relation to her torso.
They also highlighted, for instance, the cropped rear paw of a black dog and the exactly identical height of the children despite the 2-year age gap between them, even implying that actors were hired to stand in for them. There are opinions that the photos were published in such low resolution intentionally. According to them, this was to obscure any edits.
The editorial staff of the Daily Mail consulted professional photographers for their insights. They unanimously declared that the photograph appears staged to give the impression of a "perfect family", yet there is no sign of graphic manipulation or the use of artificial intelligence.
What do you think about it?
