Soon after the Sussexes shared their card, a separate image began to circulate. It was not released by Harry and Meghan, yet it spread quickly across social media. The picture appeared to show Archie and Lilibet as older children, styled in a black and white holiday portrait with a caption reading: “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. From Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.” For many people, something felt immediately off. The children did not look recognisable, and the composition seemed oddly artificial.
Internet users were quick to investigate, and it did not take long for social media sleuths to trace the origins of the card. The layout came from a design template available on Canva. The image itself was AI generated. Even without technical analysis, clues were visible. The path behind them curved in an unnatural way near Lilibet’s knee, and both children were posed with their hands hidden behind their backs. Viewers pointed out that AI imagery often fails at rendering hands and feet correctly, and the awkward positioning fit the pattern.