Prince William and Kate Middleton with family
Prince William and Kate Middleton shared their Christmas family portrait for 2023 photographed by Josh Shinner. Photo: The Prince and Princess of Wales/X The Prince and Princess of Wales/X

Eagle-eyed royal watchers have accused Prince William and Kate Middleton of Photoshopping their Christmas family photo as the portrait showed several blunders including Prince Louis' missing finger.

The royal couple shared their Christmas card on their The Prince and Princess of Wales account on X. The black and white image shows the family of five dressed in long-sleeved shirts and trousers.

Princess Charlotte is the only one seated on a chair in front while her young brother, Prince Louis, stood beside her. Standing at the back is Prince William behind his youngest son with one hand placed on his shoulder. Beside him is Kate Middleton who had an arm around Prince George's waist, who stood beside her.

A quick look shows a beaming family but there were those who pointed out a few errors. Royal fans were quick to point out that Prince Louis seems to be missing a finger on the hand he placed on the chair.

"Louis is missing a finger; this has got to be the worst Photoshopped pic ever," one commented.

Another wrote: "What has happened to Prince Louis' finger?" and a third chimed in: "Is Prince Louis missing a finger? What in the AI is going on?"

However, some explained that Prince Louis had his hand spread out over the arm of the chair which made it look like he was missing a finger.

One commented: "His fingers are splayed with space between his middle and ring fingers. His thumb is not visible."

Another explained: "There is no missing or partial finger(s) in the photo. His middle and ring fingers are simply splayed apart due to the way he has his hand on the arm of the chair."

A royal source also told the Daily Mail: "It's not photoshopped. It seems as if he just bent his finger over. He's certainly not lost a finger – don't worry about that!"

Aside from Prince Louis' finger, netizens also wanted to know where Kate Middleton's other leg went. Only one of her legs is visible from the opening under the chair. The same goes for Prince William's left leg which is not seen in the photo.

"Consider the angle of his (Prince William's) supposed right leg, his left leg should be visible in the chair opening unless he's trying to do a split?" one wrote.

It could be that Prince William stood with a wide stance and Kate Middleton stood with one foot in front of the other which could explain why their other "missing" legs are not visible in the photo. Meanwhile, others corrected that it should not have been called a Christmas card but a family portrait because of the lack of Christmas cheer and colour.

Regardless, there were also those who appreciated Prince William and Kate Middleton for sharing their family photo for Christmas. Some called it a "fabulous picture" and others shared their Christmas wishes for the family.