Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have released a new family portrait for their 2025 Christmas card, but a small detail in the image has left royal fans scratching their heads.
The Duchess of Sussex shared the photo on Instagram over the weekend, showing the couple posing in a woodland setting with their children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
Against the fairytale-like backdrop, the family stand on a wooden bridge as Archie hugs Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, bends down to hold hands with Lilibet.
“Happy Holidays! From our family to yours,” Meghan captioned the post.
While many royal fans have gushed over the adorable picture, others have been quick to point out a string of problems, including one they said made it look like the image was “photoshopped”.
“What happened with the editing? The back of Harry’s head is missing above the hairline,” one fan said on Reddit.
“It looks like the tree branch is coming out of his head lol,” another person joked.
“Looks like they used the stamp tool in Photoshop. The chunk of head floating above his head when you zoom in,” a third Redditor said.
As well as the apparent Photoshop fail, one royal expert said there is another “strange” detail in the photograph that “doesn’t make sense”.
Grant Harrold, a former butler to King Charles, said he was confused by the Sussexes’ decision to continue hiding their children’s faces.
“I find this year’s photo a bit strange,” Harrold told Express.co.uk.
“They don’t want to show their children’s faces, and I completely understand their choice to keep their children’s faces out of the spotlight. However, I think it just comes across a bit odd in this picture.
“Again, they’re kind of sitting in the middle. Why send out a photo of your children if you don’t want them to be seen? For me, it doesn’t make sense.”
Harrold also said that the Sussexes’ photograph stood in strong contrast to the image featured in the Prince and Princess of Wales’ 2025 Christmas card.
“It’s a proud family photo. Their picture oozes confidence, while Meghan and Harry’s still looks a bit off in my opinion,” he told the publication.
In the portrait, Prince William and Princess Catherine are seen seated on a grass bank full of daffodils alongside their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
“Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas,” the Waleses, both 43, captioned the post.
However, William and Kate’s Christmas card has not escaped scrutiny, with some eagle-eyed fans suggesting their image has been Photoshopped too.
“Kate looks like she was added in the photo. Her hand seems like she’s wearing a different shirt and isn’t even holding Prince George, it’s around something else,” one person said on Reddit.
“Look at how long Kate’s arm would really have to be to actually hold her son like that. She looks like they badly photoshopped her in. Maybe I’m wrong but the photo is really messing with my head,” another fan added.
SkyNews.com.au contacted representatives for Harry, Meghan, William, and Kate for further comment.
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