Featured Image Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images/Archewell Foundation
Topics: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Royal Family, UK News
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Royal Family, UK News
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they'd be leaving the UK and settling down in the States, they claimed part of the reason was to afford their children some more privacy whilst they grow up.
With this in mind, many viewers of the couple's 2024 Christmas card believed that five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lilibet's faces had been disguised for this very reason.
Apparently, however, there's more to it that just privacy - with one royal insider claiming the decision spurs from much darker places...
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For those out of the loop, the Sussex's latest family snap appears amongst a collage, which was sent to all members subscribed to their Archewell Foundation's updates.
The couple wrote on the email Christmas card: "On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, we wish you a very happy holiday season, and a joyful new year."
It's the photo that includes Harry and Meghan's children that has caused quite a stir, however.
Some viewers accused the image of having been generated by a computer after supposedly spotting some 'inaccuracies'.
Re-sharing it online, one Twitter user accused: "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a FRAUDULENT Christmas photo - Archie hasn’t grown in two years and is the same size as his younger sister who is dressed like Princess Charlotte."
Others, meanwhile, were left with questions about whether their actual children even featured.
Summarising the confusion, another asked: "So Harry and Meghan’s new Xmas card! How is Lily as tall as Archie? Where is the hair Lily can almost sit on? Who thought this scene with such OBVIOUS staging was a good idea. More questions? And go!"
As we say, however - amid the confusion - many viewers of the sweet snap have been wondering why a couple as high-profile as Meghan and Harry would bother attempting to conceal their children's faces.
But according to one royal insider, it wasn't a decision the Sussexes took lightly and did so in order to protect their brood from potential harm.
Speaking to PEOPLE Magazine, the source explained: "Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats."
They added: "He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm."
The last time that the royal youngsters were seen in public with the consent of Harry and Harry, was in their titular 2022 documentary, which was released on Netflix and included footage of Archie and Lilibet playing in their Montecito home.
Since then, the pair have have their faces shielded, with the family's last two holiday photos simply showing parents Harry and Meghan.
The same royal source also suggested that the royal duo actually do send a separate Christmas card to their nearest and dearest, which likely features a more personalised image of their children.