A recently shared black-and-white photograph on social media purporting to show former German Chancellor Angela Merkel as a teenager sitting alongside former British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has sparked significant confusion. Accompanied by the text, “How likely is it that three childhood friends grow up to govern three different countries?”, the post has accumulated over 725,000 views on X since its publication on July 25. Despite the image being real, the claims accompanying it are fundamentally false, pointing to a pattern of misinformation that has persisted online.
Several inconsistencies undermine the credibility of the claims made in the post. While the caption insinuates that Merkel, May, and von der Leyen are present in the photograph, the bottom-right figure is, in fact, a headshot of Dalia Grybauskaitė, the former President of Lithuania, rather than von der Leyen. Furthermore, despite von der Leyen’s role as a member of Merkel’s cabinet from 2005 to 2019, she has never led a country — thus contradicting the assertion that the image showcases future national leaders. These discrepancies highlight the need for greater fact-checking and scrutiny of sensational claims on social media platforms.
Investigating the origins of the photograph reveals more misleading claims. A reverse image search conducted by Euroverify traced the image back to a 2015 article published in Time Magazine, in which it was featured when Merkel was awarded the publication’s prestigious Person of the Year prize. The caption explains that Angela Kasner—Merkel’s maiden name—is on the left of the image, captured at a New Year’s Eve party in Berlin in 1972. While Euroverify could not identify the other individuals in the photograph, the European Commission has confirmed that von der Leyen is not among them, further discrediting the viral claims about the photograph’s authenticity.
In a bid to clarify the identities of the leaders mentioned, Euroverify referenced additional sources to provide context. A Reddit user shared genuine images from von der Leyen’s teenage years, which were corroborated by outlets such as the Daily Mail. In contrast, officials from Lithuania confirmed Grybauskaitė’s absence from the photograph, while May’s childhood pictures do not match the other girls purportedly in the image. These efforts illustrate the critical importance of verifying information before disseminating it widely, particularly when it involves prominent political figures.
The misrepresentation of leaders’ identities raises valid concerns about the credibility of information shared online. Initial instances of the photo circulating in 2018 did not include mentions of von der Leyen but rather asserted that it was Grybauskaitė who was featured. Given that these leaders hail from different backgrounds and locations, the likelihood of such an image accurately representing their teenage years is highly improbable. Ursula von der Leyen spent part of her childhood in Brussels before her family returned to Germany, while Angela Merkel’s early life took place in East Germany after moving from Hamburg. Conversely, Theresa May spent her formative years in Oxfordshire, England.
The proliferation of false claims regarding political figures is not merely an issue of misinformation; it carries broader implications for European institutions and member states as a whole. Fabricated narratives not only discredit the individuals involved but also sow seeds of doubt about the legitimacy of political processes and institutions in Europe. Thus, the importance of rigorous fact-checking and critical evaluation of information becomes paramount in safeguarding the integrity of political discourse. As these false claims come to light, they underscore the pressing need for responsible sharing of information, particularly in the digital age where misinformation can rapidly spread.
