Netizens Mock Meghan Markle's 'Photoshopped' Holiday Photo As Prince Harry Appears To Be Missing Part Of His Head

In the world of high-stakes royal branding, the holiday card is more than a seasonal greeting; it is a curated statement of identity. However, Meghan Markle may have made the wrong move in her recent post for the Sussexes' 2025 holiday photo, as instead of sending cheers, it sparked a new debacle.

The Duchess of Sussex shared a festive family portrait on social media to mark the holiday season. The photograph includes her, Prince Harry, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, but eagle-eyed netizens immediately noticed that something was wrong and the royal couple has been met with a flurry of zoom-ins and red circles as social media users highlight what appears to be a significant technical blunder.

'Unsussexful Photoshop'

Meghan Markle has long used visual storytelling to mark significant life events, from her lifestyle blog The Tig to the carefully managed @SussexRoyal account. Since relaunching her personal presence on the platform, she has shared glimpses of family life in Montecito, often focusing on aesthetic perfection.

So, it was not surprising that she did it again by sharing a new family photo on Instagram to mark the holiday season. 'Happy Holidays! From our family to yours,' she wrote in the caption.

The snap features the Sussex family outdoors, surrounded by green trees and plants. Archie is hugging his dad around the waist, and they appear to be having their own moment. Markle holds hands with their daughter Lilibet and their foreheads touch as if they have their own world, too.

The festive warmth of the post, however, was quickly overshadowed when eagle-eyed followers noticed a glaring error involving Prince Harry. Netizens were quick to point out that a portion of the duke's head appeared to have vanished, leaving a distorted shape in its place.

Netizens React to Meghan's Alleged Failed Photoshop Holiday Photo

Meghan Markle's holiday photo quickly became a topic of discussion on social media. Some even speculated that it was intentional.

'The photoshop on the top of Harry's head is so bad that I assume they did it on purpose to bait people into talking about it,' one observer remarked, noting the irony of such a mistake from someone as detail-oriented as Markle.

Another said Markle did an 'Epic photoshop fail on Prince Harry's head,' before mocking the Horrible Bosses star, saying, 'Someone clearly can't use Lightroom tools effectively.'

The same user added that Markle 'forgot to remove the "clone" spot' above Prince Harry's head and jokingly called it, 'Unsussexful photoshop.'

Meanwhile, another wondered why the mainstream media has not covered Markle's Photoshop fail with the same intensity as Kate Middleton's. 'No drama over this distorted orb above Harry's head, really?' @RestingDollface asked.

Kate Middleton's Photoshop Controversy

Meghan Markle isn't the first royal to make such a mistake. Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, made headlines last year for the same reason.

Kensington Palace released a portrait of the Princess of Wales with her three children to mark Mother's Day. However, many noticed the misaligned sleeve on Princess Charlotte's cardigan and the blurred areas around Middleton's hair, among other inconsistencies.

Critics immediately wondered if the royals were hiding something, especially since Middleton had been recovering from an abdominal surgery at the time.

Major global agencies, including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Getty Images, issued a mandatory 'kill notice' to retract the image. Middleton issued an apology and explained that 'Like many amateur photographers' she 'occasionally experiment[s] with editing.'

'I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C,' Middleton added.

The escalating frequency of these digital mishaps suggests a profound shift in how the public consumes royal imagery, transitioning from passive admiration to forensic scrutiny. For both Meghan Markle and the Princess of Wales, the move toward self-produced photos was intended to project intimacy and bypass the traditional press, yet it has inadvertently eroded the very trust it sought to build.