The pictures looked real, and so did the rumour. A Norwegian princess has had to deny she's pregnant after AI images of her with a baby bump flooded the internet. And she's not the only royal being targeted. Europe's palaces are now dealing with deepfake pregnancies, fake hospital scares and even made-up reunions with relatives who died decades ago.
Princess Märtha Louise, 55, was pictured in the manipulated images alongside her husband, American shaman Durek Verrett, with one photograph appearing to show the couple holding an ultrasound scan.
The images, which appeared on two Facebook pages late last week, fuelled speculation that the couple were expecting their first child together.
Her representatives were quick to shut down the claims, describing them as false and warning that the manipulated photographs were being taken seriously.
'We are aware that false claims and manipulated images of Princess Märtha Louise are being spread on social media, and this is something we take seriously and are following up on,' the royal's manager Carina Scheele Carlsen told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2.
'Beyond this, we do not wish to comment further on the matter at this time.'
The photographs were shared on two Facebook accounts, with posts written in Norwegian and German. Meta subsequently removed the profiles for breaching its guidelines on coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
The pregnancy hoax is not the first of its kind. AI-generated images have repeatedly been used to create fake moments involving Europe's most famous royals.
From Fake Pregnancies To Fabricated Hospital Emergencies
Märtha Louise's family has already been targeted by similar fabrications.
In June, AI-generated photographs showing then-Crown Princess Mette-Marit in hospital following her lung transplant circulated online.
The images appeared to show the royal being comforted by her husband, now-King Haakon VIII, and their daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
Another photograph depicted Mette-Marit being held by her son, Marius Borg Høiby.
The images were later removed, but the incident highlighted how AI-generated content can exploit deeply personal and sensitive moments involving public figures.
Märtha Louise is the elder sister of King Haakon VIII, who succeeded their father, King Harald V, following his death on 28 August.
She married Verrett in 2024. The relationship drew heavy attention and controversy. The couple then featured in the 2025 Netflix documentary Rebel Royals, and calls grew again for the princess to be stripped of her titles. Märtha Louise has not held a formal royal role since November 2022. Still, her commercial activities and public profile keep her in the news.
When Seeing Is No Longer Believing
These incidents are becoming more common, and they raise an uncomfortable question. How easily can AI images distort the way people understand real events? A fake pregnancy can create a family announcement that never happened.
A fabricated hospital photo can convince people a royal is seriously ill. An invented family reunion can rewrite history for thousands of people who come across it online.
The problem is not simply that artificial intelligence can create convincing pictures. It is that those pictures can be shared, copied and believed before the people depicted have an opportunity to respond.
For Europe's royal families, the challenge is becoming increasingly personal: they are having to publicly deny events that never happened in the first place.
And perhaps the most unsettling part of the story is that the next person fooled by an AI-generated royal photograph may not be an unsuspecting social media user – but someone who knows the real family better than almost anyone.
