Meghan Markle's social media post has sparked a debate as fans appeared to spot inconsistencies.
The Duchess of Sussex's weekend Instagram post showing her harvesting fruit from her Montecito garden attracted scrutiny from royal watchers who identified apparent inconsistencies in the photograph.
The 43-year-old shared the image on Saturday through her lifestyle brand's Instagram account, captioning it: "Weekend plans: pick, snack, repeat", alongside a peach emoji.
The photograph showed her beneath a fruit tree, wearing a monogrammed wide-brimmed straw hat and reaching upwards in what appears to be a fruit-picking pose.
Meghan Markle could be seen picking apricots from a tree.
Instagram / As Ever
However, observers quickly began questioning various aspects of the image, particularly regarding the ripeness and authenticity of the fruit being picked.
Eagle-eyed social media users noted that whilst the apricot in Meghan's hand appeared ripe and yellow, the remaining fruit on the tree looked distinctly green.
"All the other fruit is so green," one royal fan observed, whilst another commented: "She's picking green fruit!"
A third person remarked: "The other fruit isn't ripe..."
Meghan Markle's social media post sparks debate as fans spot inconsistencies.
Getty
Critics also pointed out that the fruit appeared to be held "upside down" with the stem end facing away from the tree.
"It's amazing how this supposedly freshly picked apricot is upside down and there isn't a stem or leaves attached," one user wrote.
Several social media users expressed doubt about whether the fruit was genuinely being picked from the tree.
"At this point, I wouldn't even believe this apricot was ever attached to the tree," one person commented.
Meghan Markle also shared a new picture of herself on the beach.
Instagram / @meghan
Another observer wrote: "Looks like she's trying to put an apricot back on the tree. It's not connected, and the others are not ripe."
"Is it just me or is that fruit not even attached to the tree and she's just holding it in place to make it like she's picking it fresh off the tree???" questioned another user.
Despite the scrutiny, apricots are currently in season in Santa Barbara, where the Sussexes reside, which could explain the presence of ripe fruit.
The colour variations noted by critics might also be attributed to photographic lighting or post-production editing.
Critics also questioned the authenticity of this photograph.
Instagram / As Ever
The photograph's timing coincided with Meghan's recent launch of an apricot fruit spread through her business ventures.
This marked the latest instance where Meghan's garden-related social media content faced scepticism online.
Last month, she posted an image of the Sussexes' beagle Mia sniffing a basket of fresh produce supposedly grown at their California home.
Critics immediately questioned the authenticity of that photograph, too, pointing to the absence of mud on the vegetables and concerns about seasonal timing.
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