Tourists tricked by AI-generated Buckingham Palace Christmas market images

• AI-generated images of a Buckingham Palace Christmas market misled tourists.
• London.travelers, a travel platform with 2.5M followers, shared the fake images online.
• In reality, the palace hosts a small pop-up shop selling festive royal gifts.
• Visitors found locked gates and security fences instead of the advertised market.

Visitors to London were left disappointed after flocking to Buckingham Palace in search of a Christmas market that does not exist. The confusion was sparked by AI-generated images circulating on social media, showing a festive market with wooden stalls and twinkling lights at the royal residence.

Travel platform “london.travelers,” run by US travel company Athotel and boasting 2.5 million followers, shared the digitally created image across TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. The post has since been removed. Observers noted that the visuals depicted snow-topped stands seemingly inside the palace gates, breaching strict security measures, and fairy lights appearing to float mid-air.

In reality, Buckingham Palace is hosting a small Christmas pop-up for the first time this year. The Royal Mews Christmas Shop, open from 14 November to 5 January, offers seasonal editions of official royal gifts, alongside “drinks and nibbles” for shoppers.

TikTok user Kate Ovens helped clarify the mix-up after visitors arrived to find locked gates, security fences, and puddles instead of a winter wonderland. She said, “A flower stall and a coffee stall… that’s it. It’s just a gift shop selling Christmassy royal things. Not a xmas market.”

The Royal Collection Trust emphasized in its original announcement: “Please note that the Royal Mews Christmas Shop is a pop-up shop selling Royal Collection Trust festive products within the existing Royal Mews shop space, and is not a Christmas market. There will not be a Christmas market at Buckingham Palace.”