Royal Fans Are Pointing Out a Major Issue With William & Kate's 2025 Christmas Card
The Christmas card photo shows Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children seated on plush grass with daffodils.
Prince William and Kate Middleton embraced the festive spirit and finally released their 2025 Christmas card. The photo, shared on December 18, is a throwback showing the Prince and Princess of Wales posing with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, seated on plush grass and surrounded by daffodils. The sweet family picture, however, rubbed some royal watchers the wrong way. After it went viral, critics accused the Waleses of photoshopping Middleton again, reviving echoes of past controversy.
In the photo shared on Instagram, William and Middleton are seen smiling as their three children cling closely to them. The caption reads: "Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas." Taken by family photographer Josh Shinner in Norfolk, the portrait captures the family relaxed and radiating warmth, with Middleton perhaps the only one looking stiff and posed.
As the picture made the rounds on social media, disgruntled fans took to Reddit to point out some glaring errors. A critic penned, "Look at how long Kate's left arm would really have to be to actually hold her son like that. She looks like they badly photoshopped her in." Another echoed, "Were any of them actually together when they took the picture, or is it another Photoshop?" Likewise, a royal watcher seethed, "In the absolute worst at detecting Photoshop and my first thought was that Kate looked out of place, like she was added in." A comment also read, "Boring and fake. They love cosplaying the middle-class farmer family look."
The accusations of Photoshop come as little surprise, given the Waleses' involvement in the infamous 'Kate-gate' scandal. For those unversed, the family's social media accounts released a Mother's Day portrait last year showing Middleton hugging her three children. The image sparked major controversy when major outlets such as the Associated Press and Reuters withdrew it after identifying suspicious alterations. Critics on social media soon pointed out apparent Photoshop errors, including claims that Charlotte's hands were cut and pasted and Middleton's overly airbrushed appearance. The Waleses later fessed up to the edits, citing Middleton's cancer as the reason she could not physically pose for the photograph.
While there appears to be little evidence that William and Middleton altered their Christmas card photos, the Mother's Day fiasco has people having their doubts. Similar accusations surfaced during their 2023 Christmas card release, a black-and-white portrait of the Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children, all dressed in coordinated casual outfits of white button-down shirts paired with denim or dark trousers.
