Many eagle-eyed fans pointed out errors in the photo.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ effort to spread holiday joy took an unexpected turn when they faced accusations of Photoshop mishaps.
Over the weekend, Prince William and Kate Middleton used their joint Instagram account to share the family’s 2023 Christmas card, featuring their three children: 10-year-old Prince George, 8-year-old Princess Charlotte, and 5-year-old Prince Louis.
The post has garnered over 20,000 comments, with many eagle-eyed fans pointing out errors in the photo.
A user wrote with a shocked emoji, “Photoshop fail!! There’s an extra leg in this picture!!!! How did the photographer did not notice?? Omg.”
Another user wrote, “Is Prince Louis missing a finger…?”
Whose legs are these? pic.twitter.com/O4V57uFjOu
— Mendee Menkyu (@menkyu) December 10, 2023
“It’s all PHOTOSHOP… PRINCE LOUIS IS MISSING A FINGER. VERY BAD EDITING,” a third user commented
“Prince Louis’s finger is missing, also they have photoshopped someone else’s leg onto his I certainly hope taxpayers didn’t pay for it,” a user wrote.
“Are Prince William’s children even real or are they fake? Why does Louis not have a finger and look at Louis leg both legs don’t look similar,” noted a fifth user.
Why is your son missing a finger? And whose legs are those?
You should get a new Photoshop person. #PhotoshopFailspic.twitter.com/EJqUuk7jnO— OCShree (@ocshree) December 10, 2023
However, some provided a reasonable explanation, suggesting that Louis positioned his hand in a manner that made his middle finger seem to be missing.
Many users said that the picture appeared to be AI-generated.
Nonetheless, the editorial team at the photography news website PetaPixel scrutinized the photograph and determined that no Photoshop manipulation had taken place. The team attributed the confusion among viewers to unconventional posing and the monochromatic tone of the picture.