Photo of Queen with Prince Philip for 99th birthday allegedly photoshopped

A rare official photo of the Queen and Prince Philip on his 99th birthday has become the source of Photoshop speculation on Twitter.

The royal family has released the first official photo of Prince Philip since before he was hospitalised in December last year.

Buckingham Palace shared the rare photo of the Duke of Edinburgh with Queen Elizabeth on The Royal Family Twitter account today to mark his 99th birthday, revealing it had been taken at the castle's quadrangle last week.

But eagle-eyed royal watchers were quick to comment on a strange detail they noticed when looking closely at the Queen’s hands.

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Commenting on the image, many said it looked “photoshopped”, with some zooming in to highlight an outline around the Queen’s hands.

“That's the official photo? I've seen more convincing green screen in Phantom Menace,” one commenter joked.

“Do you need help with the photoshop guys?,” another said.

“The photoshop on this is horrific, not being funny it’s the queen surely they could have got someone to do a better job than that,” one added.

📸 This new photograph of The Duke of Edinburgh and The Queen was taken last week in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle to mark His Royal Highness’s 99th birthday tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/RCAZeioUjq

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 9, 2020

Strong photoshop from Prince Philip and The Queen. pic.twitter.com/vJRLtTcfjG

— Ꮥ Ꭵ Ꮢ Ꮒ ፈ (@notayesmanbro) June 9, 2020

The couple have rarely been photographed together since the Duke retired from public life in 2017.

He was last seen publicly leaving a London hospital on Christmas Eve after being treated for a pre-existing condition, and released a rare public statement in April to thank those fighting on the frontline against COVID-19.

Britain's Prince Philip leaving the King Edward VII hospital in London on December 24, 2019. Picture: AFP.

The Duke of Edinburgh has written a message to everyone who is helping to tackle the pandemic and keep essential services running. Read the message in full at: https://t.co/91oQHns3ZN pic.twitter.com/UNcomwRSWU

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 20, 2020

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth was pictured just last week, with the palace releasing photos of Her Majesty riding a horse in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The Duke will spend his birthday at Windsor Castle with the 94-year-old monarch.

While the royal couple continue their self-imposed isolation, the rest of their family will have to send their best wishes to Prince Philip by video calls, and the London gun salute will not go ahead. The Queen cancelled such tributes for her own birthday in April for the first time in her 68-year reign.

“I haven’t seen my father for a long time. He’s going to be 99 next week,” heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles said last week.

“FaceTime is all very well … You really want to give people a hug.”

Prince Philip and the Queen married in 1947, when Philip was 26 and the monarch was 21.