Fake: Photo Shows Young Merkel, May, and Grybauskaitė Together
The Claim
The photo below depicts German chancellor Angela Merkel, former British Prime Minister Theresa May, and former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė together as teens.
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Emerging story
In summer 2020, social media users began recirculating the picture that first became popular in 2018, claiming it depicts the three politicians as teens.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that the original photo does depict a young Angela Merkel (née Kasner) at a New Year’s Eve party in 1972. It was first published in Time magazine. However, there is no evidence supporting the claim that it also depicts a young Theresa May and Dalia Grybauskaitė.
Angela Merkel is 66, Theresa May is 63, and Dalia Grybauskaitė is 64 years old. Although they could theoretically have been spending time together when they were 18, 15, and 16 respectively, they grew up in different countries (Germany, England, and Lithuania), and therefore are highly unlikely to have been photographed together.
