How an AI Hoax Created a Fake Buckingham Palace Christmas

A wave of AI-generated images showing a supposed Christmas market outside Buckingham Palace went viral across multiple platforms, tricking tourists from around the world into believing a royal holiday celebration was underway.

Brygida, a Polish visitor, showed up expecting wooden stalls and glowing lights—only to find an empty plaza and the realization that the photos she saw online were completely fabricated.

Other travelers from Boston and France admitted they were fooled too, as the AI images spread globally in several languages, creating a convincing but fictional holiday scene.

Travel bloggers began debunking the hoax, pointing out impossibilities in the images, and the Royal Collection Trust later clarified that no such market exists, only a small Christmas shop.

The incident highlights how quickly AI-generated content can distort reality, mislead travelers, and create false expectations in the real world.