Sources close to Harry and Meghan say Sussexes would have been 'annihilated' if they'd made same photoshop mistake as Kate - but insist Duchess wouldn't have slipped up because of 'freakish attention to detail'

Sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have claimed the couple would be 'annihilated' for committing Kate Middleton's Mother's Day Photoshop fail.

Yesterday, the Princess of Wales admitted that she edited the portrait which was released by Kensington Palace on Mother's Day and apologised 'for any confusion' that the family photograph has caused.

While a source claims that Meghan's 'freakish attention to detail' could never allow for such a blunder, that clearly wasn't the case in 2019 when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were accused of Photoshopping their family's Christmas card.

In the first official image released since Kate's 'planned abdominal surgery' on January 16, the MailOnline identified sixteen separate edits, including issues with the princess's jeans zipper and right hand - amid claims the photo was digitally altered.

While the image has since sparked a global frenzy, a close source to Meghan and Harry has told Page Six that the couple would be 'annihilated' for the same mishap  and it simply 'isn’t a mistake Meghan would ever make'.

Sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have claimed the couple would be 'annihilated' for committing Kate Middleton 's Mother's Day Photoshop fail (Pictured: the Princess of Wales with her children, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, taken in Windsor)

The source said: 'If Harry and Meghan had ever encountered the same issue they would have been annihilated. The same rules do not apply to both couples.

'This isn’t a mistake that Meghan would ever make … she has a keen eye and freakish attention to detail'.

Meanwhile former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole told MailOnline that the exiled British Royals will be enjoying Kate's woes, especially given their own recent popularity problems. 

He said: 'They will be laughing up their sleeves, trying to keep a straight face in public', adding: ‘Their point man Omid Scobie has been out throwing mud pies for them'.

However in 2019 Meghan and Harry were accused of committing their own editing fail amid claims The Duchess of Sussex's face had been Photoshopped onto the family's Christmas card.

Meghan's face appeared significantly more in focus than that of Prince Harry in the picture appearing online, despite them both being roughly the same distance behind Archie.

The black and white festive image showed Harry and Meghan sitting by a Christmas tree smiling as then-seven-month-old Archies gazes into the camera in the foreground. 

Social media was abuzz with people discussing whether the photo had been edited, with one person tweeting: 'This is quite possibly the worst Photoshopped picture I have ever seen. And again with the black and white.'

While the image has since sparked a global frenzy, a close source to Meghan and Harry has told Page Six that the couple would be 'annihilated' for the same mishap and it simply 'isn’t a mistake Meghan would ever make'

MailOnline's picture desk flattened out the shadows on Meghan's face, which appeared to show it was later added onto her body. 

One possible reason is that the image of her face was taken in another similar photograph in the same shoot, and then added onto the picture they released.

It is not suggested that the Duke and Duchess edited the image.

The card was not officially released through any official royal channels, and first appeared on an unverified Twitter account called The Queen's Commonwealth Trust.

A spokesman for the Sussexes however confirmed the card's authenticity. 

The news comes amid claims Prince William took Kate's Mother's Day photograph in just a 40-minute window on Friday before the Princess edited it twice in Photoshop to 'make it the best it can be'.

The Prince of Wales took the picture of his smiling family on a £2,900 Canon camera before Kate made edits to improve the photo ahead of its public release on Instagram on Sunday.

ORIGINAL PICTURE -- This photo was issued by @SussexRoyal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Christmas card. Meghan's face appears significantly more in focus than that of Prince Harry in the card picture, despite them both being roughly the same distance behind Archie

Kensington Palace aides are said to have spent weeks planning to release a photo of the Princess of Wales to quell vicious social media speculation about the nature of Kate's condition since her surgery in January, which has deeply upset and angered the couple.

Instead, the rare royal blunder resulted in another public explosion of conspiracy theories.

Six of the world's top picture agencies including the Press Association then sensationally pulled the photo from their wires and libraries amid concern that the 'source has manipulated the image'.

Amid the furore, the Princess later issued an extraordinary mea culpa on Twitter and Instagram, admitting she 'edited' the image - adding that she does 'occasionally experiment' as an 'amateur photographer' and apologising for 'any confusion' the image caused.

Kate is said to have felt that honesty was 'the best policy' and wanted to 'own up' to the Photoshop blunder. The Princess felt 'awful' about the picture and had been trying to make it the 'best it could be', insiders told The Times - adding that she was 'thinking of her own children when editing the picture, hoping that they looked good for their own sakes'.

EDITED IMAGE -- Research by MailOnline's picture desk, which flattened out the shadows on Meghan's face, appears to show it was later added onto her body

Publicly taking the blame for the furore, the princess wrote yesterday: 'Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment 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.'

Royal sources said the princess had made 'minor adjustments' to the picture, which she and her husband had hoped would be a lovely 'informal' shot to share on a special day.

'This was an amateur, family photograph taken by the Princess of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother's Day,' the source said.

'The Princess made minor adjustments as she shared in her statement on social media, the Wales family spent Mother's Day together and had a wonderful day.'

William and Kate were spotted leaving Windsor for Westminster Abbey yesterday afternoon

Despite calls for the original to be published, Kensington Palace said it would not be reissuing the unedited photograph of Kate and her children, which in itself sparked further debate.

Last night the palace faced growing pressure over the debacle with claims it has been damaging to public trust.

Palace aides did not spot any signs of Photoshop but it's not believed the edits were made aware to the princess' team before it became public.

However, questions have been raised over whether the picture was too good to be true. One red flag might have been the fact the beaming family portrait was shot in such a short time on Friday.

The busy schedules of the Wales family meant the picture had to be taken while everyone was back at home from various activities. A day later, Kate is said to have sent the photo out to her team.

Kate posted the apology on the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram account yesterday

It's unknown whether any of her team could see that the photo had been edited on Photoshop but alarm bells may have started ringing when courtiers discovered that William had taken the picture.

Without editing, it would have been some feat for William to take such a captivating photo with all the members of the family simultaneously roaring with laughter.

A plan was put in place to release the photo and a message from Kate herself at 9am on Sunday - but what quickly ensued was 24 hours of intense scrutiny as the Palace faced questions from all angles over why the family photo appeared to be digitally manipulated.

The row overshadowed yesterday's Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, which was being led by Queen Camilla for the first time, accompanied by Prince William, in the King's absence as he undergoes cancer treatment. His Majesty recorded a video message for the first time instead.

Yesterday Kate was seen in the backseat of a car with her husband as he left Windsor to travel to London for two public engagements.

The Mail understands she was on route for a 'private appointment' and she did not accompany William publicly.

Kate was later spotted leaving Windsor in a car with William yesterday as he was driven to the Commonwealth Day service in London.

The Princess was not attending the service, but was understood to have a private appointment.

William is set to carry out further engagements in London this Thursday.