Visitors expecting to discover a magical winter wonderland at Buckingham Palace have instead encountered scaffolding, security barriers and rain-soaked pavements.Artificial intelligence-created pictures depicting a festive marketplace outside the monarch’s London home have circulated widely across social media platforms, drawing eager tourists to the location.The fabricated images showed snow-dusted wooden chalets, twinkling fairy lights suspended overhead, and a towering Christmas tree positioned before the royal residence.However, those who arrived at the Palace gates this week discovered no evidence of any seasonal marketplace.A fake Buckingham Palace Christmas Market advert was circulating online | INSTAGRAMThe deceptive photographs have prompted numerous disappointed reactions from visitors who travelled specifically to experience what they believed would be the Palace’s inaugural Christmas market.The misleading photographs gained traction through several social media accounts boasting substantial followings on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.One travel-focused account, @London.travelers, which commands 2.5 million Instagram followers, promoted the non-existent attraction before removing its post.The account had promised visitors would experience “a royal Christmas experience” at what they claimed would be the Palace’s first-ever festive marketplace, scheduled to run from December 1 to 24.Fans arrived to see that there was no such Christmas market | INSTAGRAMAnother post described the fictional event as a “festive wonderland with charming stalls, handcrafted gifts, and seasonal delights”.Upon closer examination, the images revealed telltale signs of artificial generation, including lights that appeared to float unsupported and illegible signage on market stalls.Shivani Khosla, filming herself at the Palace, expressed her disbelief: “The truth behind the Buckingham Palace Christmas market is actually insane.”But he lied – the picture was AI-generated. Instead, this is what’s actually there. It’s just a shop.”The Royal Collection Trust issued a clarification on its website | ROYAL COLLECTION TRUSTKate Ovens similarly warned others: “If you’ve seen the Buckingham Palace Christmas market on your For You page, just to let you know it’s not real! I am here, right now, on the day that it ‘opens’.”One visitor lamented: “Oh, we’ve come for a Christmas market that’s not here. I was going to enjoy a mulled wine, and now I’ve got my chicken sandwiches.”The Royal Collection Trust has responded to the widespread confusion by publishing an official statement on their website.The organisation clarified: “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.Buckingham Palace is the official home of the British monarch | GETTY”There will not be a Christmas market at Buckingham Palace.”The Royal Mews does operate a genuine seasonal retail space, open until January 5, offering official royal merchandise including baubles, toy corgis and gift sets.The shop also provides seasonal refreshments for shoppers, though this modest offering bears no resemblance to the elaborate marketplace depicted in the viral images.