Fans spot bizarre detail in Prince William and Kate Middleton's adorable Royal Family Christmas card that you might have missed

The Wales' have released their annual Christmas card but did you spot this bizarre detail?

 Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Catherine, Princess of Wales during the Royal Carols - Together At Christmas service at Westminster Abbey on December 8, 2023 in London,
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Fans have spotted a bizarre detail in Prince William and Kate Middleton's adorable family Christmas card and you might have missed it.

As the countdown to the festive season continues, many families are sharing their Christmas traditions, from opening one of the best chocolate advent calendars to Elf on the Shelf with these 40 naughty Elf on the Shelf ideas

One Royal Family tradition that Prince William and Kate Middleton have kept is releasing an annual royal Christmas card. For 2023 this features the fab five dressed casually in jeans and white shirts.

Not only have fans commented on how grown up the children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight and Prince Louis, five, look in the adorable photo by photographer Josh Shinner at their Adelaide home, but they've also picked up on a bizarre detail.

Fans are wondering what's happened to Prince Louis' finger, as he appears to have a finger missing from the photograph. Prince Louis poses in front of his dad Prince William, with his hand placed on the wooden arm of the chair that his sister Princess Charlotte is sitting on. And if you look closely his hand appears to have his middle finger missing.

One fan asked, "Why is he missing a finger?"

Some fans have speculated that it's a 'bad Photoshop' while another fan has commented, "His fingers are splayed with space between his middle and ring fingers. His thumb is not visible."

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George in black and white for Christmas card 2023

(Image credit:  Josh Shinner)

Another fan clarified, "There's no missing or extra finger. His hand is just spread open over the arm of the chair. Like a Vulcan salute." For anyone not familiar, a Vulcan salute is a hand gesture popularized by the 1960s television series Star Trek. It usually consists of a raised hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while the fingers are parted between the middle and ring finger. But in this instance, Louis has his hand down while his fingers are spread open.

Josh Shinner, who took the photograph, shared the snap on his Instagram and captioned it, "It was such a pleasure to photograph The Prince and Princess of Wales and their family for the Christmas portrait this year. Without doubt one of the most relaxed and enjoyable sittings I’ve ever had, and I now have a whole new set of jokes that are right on my level thanks to the children…A huge thanks to the Prince and Princess of Wales for having me."

In other royal news, Prince Louis pulls cheeky stunt as royals attend Christmas Carol service and These Kate Middleton Christmas jumper dupes will keep you snug on the school pickup this winter – run, don't walk.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)