The first official photo of Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, released since she underwent abdominal surgery has been pulled by multiple media agencies amid concerns the image was manipulated.
The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Getty Images and Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday issued notices not to use the image of Kate and her three children, which was released by Kensington Palace.
The AP said the photo had been withdrawn because upon âcloser inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the imageâ and the photo showed an âinconsistency in the alignmentâ of the left hand of Kateâs daughter, Princess Charlotte.
The AFP said the image could not be used as it had been âalteredâ without elaborating.
Reuters said it had deleted the image âfollowing a post-publication reviewâ.
When contacted for comment, the AP directed Al Jazeera to an AP article about the withdrawal decision.
Reuters, AFP and Getty Images did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.
Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C
đ¸ The Prince of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/6DywGBpLLQ
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 10, 2024
The photo was posted on The Prince and Princess of Walesâs official X account on Sunday accompanied by a caption thanking the public for their âkind wishes and continued support over the last two monthsâ and wishing the public a Happy Motherâs Day.
The image was purportedly taken by Kateâs husband, Prince William, during the past week on the grounds of Windsor Castle just outside of London.
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The release of the image, which remained online on Sunday night despite the withdrawal notices, came after Kensington Palace announced in January that Kate, 42, had been hospitalised for surgery and would take a break from official royal duties until after Easter.
The lack of details about the reasons for the queen-in-waitingâs surgery and her prolonged absence from the public has prompted a flurry of speculation and conspiracy theories about her condition.
Kate last appeared in public on Christmas Day while attending a church service at the royal familyâs Sandringham estate.
By Agencies.