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Social media conspiracy theorists have seized on Meghan and Harry’s Christmas holiday card to spread wild conjectures about the couple including a ludicrous allegation they used AI or ‘borrowed’ children to play Archie and Lilibet.
A group of Twitter critics of the Sussexes have insisted a photo is ‘digitally altered’ and made the bizarre and baseless claim that the decision to show their two children from behind is less about privacy and more about them not existing.
One conspiracy theorist said the Sussexes had decided to ‘rent a kid for the holidays’ in a pile-on that also remarked on Archie and Lilibet’s height and hair colour as they are seen so rarely in public.
Many Twitter users crudely marked the pictures with what they considered inaccuracies, using child-like scribbles.
But one Photoshop expert told MailOnline today that the photo looked genuine. And a leading Fleet Street photographer said while it is ‘very staged’ to make them look like ‘the perfect family’, he does not believe it is created using AI.
It came after the Princess of Wales’ admission in March that she edited her official Mother’s Day portrait released by Kensington Palace.
As a result there is more focus on Harry and Meghan’s pictures, especially one that 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 left arm length as well Archie’s legs and stride, Lilibet’s gait and even the quality of the image to allege that the charming photo is ‘fake’.
Several critics insisted that the pictures are deliberately low resolution to hide inconsistencies – rather than the fact they are small and printed on a card.
A close-up of the family photo of the Sussexes, also featuring their three canine companions. One expert told MailOnline that it is impossible to tell due to its small size but added that it looked genuine
This social media user focused on the length of Meghan’s left arm. Others were unsure on the angle of her limb
There were also remarks about Archie’s feet and legs
A social media user circled one of the couple’s dogs and said that it looked like it had three legs
The angle of Meghan’s feet to her body as well as Lilibet’s gait were also pointed to by conspiracy theorists
The season’s greetings from Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation showcased the highlights of the Sussexes’ year, including pictures from their four-day visit to Colombia in August
One Twitter user calling 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 shimmering edge to his body.
‘Archie went from dark auburn hair to dead straight ginger hair.
‘Meghan’s feet face forward but her torso is side on.
‘Both kids are exactly the same height despite a two-year age difference’,
Twitter poring over the Sussexes’ images incredibly some made baseless claims that the King’s grandchildren don’t even exist so needed stand-ins.
One dubious royal fan alleged: ‘Archie hasn’t grown in two years and is the same size as his younger sister… What is this garbage?.’
Another said: ‘Who thought this scene with such OBVIOUS staging was a good idea?.”
Earlier this year the Princess of Wales apologised and the picture was pulled amid speculation that edits had been made to the left sleeve of Princess Charlotte’s cardigan, George’s arm, Louis’ hands and other areas of the picture also raised concerns about possible manipulation.
The couple’s three dogs were also a part of the family portrait that was released on Monday. But several 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 that the photos were deliberately ‘poor quality’ as part of a ‘cunning PR ploy to build intrigue.’
British Photoshop expert James Middleton, who is no relation to Kate Middleton, said that the size of the image on the card makes it near-impossible to know if it has been edited.
He told MailOnline: ‘It is going to be very hard to work out the authenticity’, adding that because it is one of six images on a small card it is ‘far too small’ to analyse in the way Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day image could be.
He added: ‘Meghan looks a little painted. It could be just a trick of the light, being so mottled and her white jumper’.
But dismissing one key conspiracy he said: ‘I think that the position of her feet seem okay and where they should be’.
Photographer Glenn Gratton, who runs the leading W8 Media picture agency, said: ‘It is very staged and a moment that is managed to make them look like the perfect family.
‘Meghan is hugging the boy. Harry is hugging the girl. They have three dogs with them and they’re all together on the perfect drive on a sunny California day. It’s all too perfect.
‘It is an image for the Instagram world we now live in. It is not AI but I’ve no doubt it has been retouched like many other people retouch their own Christmas cards before they send it’.
A photo of the Duchess of Sussex during a visit to a kindergarten school in Colombia
The reaction to the card has been largely very positive.
Reacting to the image, royal fans said they couldn’t believe how old Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, had become – with Harry and Meghan’s children rarely being spotted in public.
One comment read: ‘The kids are so big.’
Another person added: ‘Look at the kids. They have grown so much.’
A third X user noted the children’s bright red hair, 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 a very Happy Holiday Season and a joyful new year.’
Several people were delighted to see a ‘glimpse of the kiddos’ on the new card, with one person adding: ‘So cute to see a picture of their children.
‘They are really redheads!’
Another comment read: ‘Okay so of course I went right to the photo of the kids!! Red heads!! Just like my grandkids!! I love it!!’
A third user exclaimed: ‘Omg. There [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 about polo that has been widely panned by critics
Prince Harry during a visit to the 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 posh polo – has received scathing reviews from critics.
The five-part docuseries, which was released on December 10, centres around the build-up to the polo World Cup in Florida and mainly focuses on players such as Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Timmy Dutta, and Nacho Figueras.
The documentary, part of Harry and Meghans £80m-deal with Netflix, promised that it would showcase the ‘true depth and spirit of the sport’ as well as the ‘intensity of its high-stakes moments’.
Following its release, however, any hope that Polo would join the ranks of great sport documentaries such as Disney +’s Welcome to Wrexham and 2020’s The Last Dance, were quickly dashed – with critics largely panning the ‘boring’ series.
Receiving two stars or less out of five across the board, the programme has been labelled ‘a tedious inside-look at posh polo’ and a ‘mostly boring look at a sport that very few people outside of elite circles have any particular interest in’.
Harry and Meghan, who served as executive producers of the series, make a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance in the documentary, with fans having to wait until episode five to catch a glimpse of the couple.
The Telegraph’s Ed Power noted there was ‘not enough of the Sussexes to make this anything other than a dull indulgence about a rich person’s pursuit’.
Earlier this month, it was revealed Prince Harry and Meghan will not be joining the royal family for Christmas this year as they have reportedly not been invited to the festivities.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven’t received an invitation to the royals’ Christmas at Sandringham, it has been reported.
They are expected to spend the festive holidays in America instead with their children Archie and Lilibet.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated to Montecito, California, after they stepped 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 the festivities are always ‘low-key’.
She said: ‘We’re always making sure we have something to do,’ the Duchess told the magazine. ‘Like any other family, you spend time having a great meal and then what do you do? Play games, all the same stuff, someone brings a guitar – fun.’
The former Suits actress also stressed the importance of making ‘room at your table for your friends who don’t have family’ such as feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who once joined the Sussexes’ Thanksgiving party.
Meghan, who married Harry in 2018, added it is important to the couple that Archie and Lilibet experience the ‘magic’ of festive traditions such as putting out ‘carrots for the reindeer’ at Christmas.
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