Meghan Markle's friend who clicked family Christmas card photo claims British media photoshopped it
One of Meghan Markle's closest friends has come to her defense after British media used a photoshopped version of the Christmas card released by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in order to slam Prince Harry's wife.
The black and white picture in question, which was later released in a gif format by the official Twitter page of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, showed Prince Archie crawling up to the camera with a goofy expression on his face as Meghan and Harry smile in the background with a Christmas tree between them.
A seemingly-altered version of the photograph showed the duke's face being blurred and the former 'Suits' actress' face enhanced and made to look more in focus.
The altered photo was used by Daily Mail for their article in which they speculated whether Meghan was "photoshopped onto [the] Christmas e-card".
The report also had "experts" claiming her "face appears weirdly in focus in Archie's snap while Prince Harry is blurry.”
On Wednesday, December 25, actress Janina Gavankar revealed that she was the one who had taken the adorable photo, as she reported the gif tweeted by the Queen's commonwealth trust.
"Proud to have taken the Christmas photo for one of my best friends and her family," Janina wrote. "Here's the original that was sent out (cropped to fit IG).... and to The Mail, I see your campaign against my friend continues."
She continued, "Nice photoshop of my non-photoshopped image. Now may we all get back to the spirit of Christmas and not the spirit of maliciousness." The Sussexes are currently spending Christmas in Canada while taking a break from royal duties.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to the extended family time towards the end of this month. Having spent the last two Christmases at Sandringham, [the couple] will spend the holiday this year, as a new family, with the duchess' mother, Doria," the Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The statement continued, "This decision is in line with the precedent set previously by other members of the royal family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen."