Hot on the heels of the scandal surrounding Catherine, Princess of Wales’ photoshopped Mother’s Day portrait, another royal family has been accused of tinkering with the editing tools.
Mary and Frederik X released their first official royal portrait as Queen and King of Denmark on Friday.
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In it, the pair stand side by side, dressed up in their finest royal regalia.
For the portrait, Mary wore a deep green velvet and lace gown and an heirloom emerald jewellery set.
Frederik looked dapper in a gold-buttoned coat with epaulettes, a braided gold belt and various medals and insignia.
But keen observers noted a strange anomaly where Mary’s lace-sleeved left arm meets Frederik’s right arm.
The “join” line around Mary and Frederik’s hands looks unnatural, some viewers noted when the picture was posted to the royal family’s official Instagram account.
Some claimed the couple may have had their portraits taken separately, and then the pictures had been Photoshopped together.
“Beautiful photo, but another digitally enhanced royal photo,” one follower wrote, receiving multiple “likes”.
“Was this Photoshopped?” wondered another.
“I mean it looks like they were photographed separately then put together?
“Mary looks exquisite and Frederik, well the king looks like he just rolled out of bed.”
“It looks like Queen Mary has been put into the photo of Fred. The hand position is identical,” added a third.
The Danish royal palace has insisted that the picture has not been edited, stating: “The Royal House’s official gala portrait has not been manipulated.”
But in the wake of the Princess of Wales admitting that she had edited a portrait with her children released on Mother’s Day in the UK, all such photographs are coming under intensified scrutiny.
The scandal around that picture eventually forced Catherine to go public with her cancer diagnosis in March.
As for Mary and Frederik’s portrait, some people’s concerns had less to do with Photoshop than a perceived “stiffness” or awkwardness coming from Mary.
Late last year, a Spanish magazine, Lecturas, published bombshell allegations that Frederik was having an affair with a Mexican socialite, Genoveva Casanova.
The claims were furiously denied by Casanova — but since then, every public appearance or photograph of Mary and Frederik has been picked apart as royal followers looked for signs of tension in the marriage.
Frederik and Mary have continued to present a united front after the unsubstantiated infidelity rumours, but some viewers detected tension in the new royal portrait.
“Oh she looks beautiful, but so tense! Something’s not right,” one follower wrote.
“That’s one chilly looking Mary. I don’t think she’s all that wild about having to stand that close to Freddy!” wrote a second.
“Agree,” responded another.
“Thought the same … so much tension!
“And are they even together in the room?
“Looks like a montage.”
Others were less cynical, simply seeing a beautiful-looking royal couple posing formally for their portrait.
“I just can’t take it! HOW beautiful and handsome are they? Awesome pair,” one fan wrote.
“Beautiful, beautiful,” enthused another.
“Can only be proud of our royal couple.”
“In Denmark we have a regent couple with so much love that it clearly outshines all crosses, ribbons and stars,” wrote a third.