The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are accused of ripping off the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after releasing a new candid black-and-white family Christmas picture.

• Dec 26, 2019

AceShowbiz - Prince William and Kate Middleton release their family Christmas card, only one day after his brother Prince Harry and Meghan Markle posted theirs. Both pictures are candid in black-and-white color and have the children take the center stage. The two images have another thing in common i.e. they're not taken by professional photographers.

In the Sussex pic taken by the family's friend, actress Janina Gavankar, the Duke and Duchess were sitting on the floor in front of their Christmas tree while little Archie was on his hands and knees seemingly crawling to the camera. The parents were in the background laughing at their son's antics as the 7-month-old toddler was curiously starring at the lens.

Meanwhile, the Cambridge photo was taken outdoor without any Christmas theme or decoration. Only the Duke was with his three kids and kissed his youngest one Prince Louis. The Duchess was nowhere in sight. According to the Kensington Palace, she was behind the lens capturing the moment. Although Kate was a self-professed "enthusiastic amateur photographer" and often demonstrated her skill over the years, her past family Christmas pictures were usually taken by professional snapper.

People were quick to point out the similarities. It didn't help that, a week before the Cambridges posted the black-and-white picture, a different photo in color claimed to be their original Christmas card leaked on the internet. Featuring all the family members with a vintage motorcycle as a prop, the photo was the same one placed on Queen Elizabeth II's desk when she delivered her annual holiday speech.

The colored photograph was first uploaded on Twitter by Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty. It has since been deleted. "A Christmas card from our Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, which I share with all members of the @aircadets," McCafferty originally captioned the image. "We send HRH and her family all best wishes for Christmas and hope to see her again in 2020."

One commented, "That is so funny that right after meghan and harry release their christmas card, a candid photo in black and white, william and kate decide to release, shocker, a candid photo in black and white." Another wrote, "The Cambridge's waited till the Sussex's put their Christmas card out, tried to carbon copied it. This is another example that the Cambridge's are being lead by the Sussex's."

"Remember how H&M was trashed for black-white photos? Now it's suddenly 'oh it's so adorable' when W&K did it," one other critic shared their thoughts. Another similar comment read, "The Cambridges really do copy everything the Sussexes do. Their 'new' Christmas card could not be more transparent."

However, the Cambridges were quickly defended by their fans. "They never released a Christmas card and this isn't a Christmas card. And don't even start with copying the B&W. Meghan didn't invent that technique. The Cambridge's have done it plenty before," one argued.