Featured Image Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images/X/pdina13
Topics: Meghan Markle, News, Prince Harry, Royal Family, Social Media, Technology
Kya Buller
Topics: Meghan Markle, News, Prince Harry, Royal Family, Social Media, Technology
A fake image of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie and Lilibet, has been doing the rounds on social media - weeks after the royal duo released their official virtual Christmas card.
The festive card read: "On behalf of the office of Prince Harry & Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions and Archewell Foundation.
"We wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful New Year."
It included six photos of the happy couple taking part in some of their many charitable endeavours, as well as a photo of the two crouched down with their arms outstretched, as their children ran towards them.
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The children's faces weren't visible.
Since absconding from their royal duties in 2020 following claims of racism regarding Archie's skin colour within the royal household, and Meghan's declining mental health as a result of relentless public scrutiny, the couple have managed to maintain a low profile for their two children following their move to Montecito in Los Angeles.
In the weeks following the release of their Christmas card, an AI-generated image of the children was released on social media and fans are not happy.
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It shows a black and white image of Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, looking decidedly older than the last time the Sussexes released official photos of their children.
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Internet sleuths have discovered that the design is one easily available to use on Canva, a graphic design website.
The fake image shows the 'siblings' smiling and standing side by side - and has sparked outrage, both on behalf of the children and for Meghan and Harry.
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While it was obviously fake to begin with as it wasn't released by the pair - who tied the knot in 2018 - the red flags are obvious, including the path bending around Lilbet's knee, as well as their hands behind behind their backs - supporting claims that AI is yet to get hands and feet totally correct when rendering fake images.
One person wrote on X: "Y’all creating AI images of other people’s children. Seek help s**t is weird."
Another said: "The kids don’t even look like brother and sister. They look like exactly what they are AI."
While a third added: "Hidden hands and feet are very strange. AI can't do hands and feet properly yet."