Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales in Britain, issued an apology on Monday for any 'confusion' that may have arisen from a family photo released by Kensington Palace which featured her posing alongside her three children.
Middleton used the official Palace X account (previously known as Twitter) to explain that the inconsistencies in the image, which caused major photo agencies to remove it, were due to her own 'amateur' editing.
The photo was shared on Sunday in honor of Mother's Day in the UK, featured a happy Kate alongside her children, Prince George (10), Prince Louis (5), and Princess Charlotte (8). The palace confirmed that the picture was taken by Prince William at Windsor Castle earlier in the week.
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Royal sources indicated that the picture was an amateur photograph taken by William, Prince of Wales, as the royal family wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day.
They added that the princess made some "minor adjustments" to the image and that the family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.
Earlier, in a rare move, major international photo agencies issued a so-called “kill” notice on the official royal photograph over concerns it was "manipulated" by "the source".
The agencies, which have strict rules on digital manipulation of images, said they had spotted a number of inconsistencies in the photograph, including the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand. Several people also took to social media to point out that Kate Middleton was not wearing her wedding ring, which was unusual.
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Kate, who has been on official leave as she recovers from an abdominal surgery in January, has not been seen in public for weeks which had led to some social media speculation over her recovery.
Kensington Palace, the office for the Prince and Princess of Wales, have repeatedly said that she is doing well and that health matters are private.
The release of the photograph was intended to allay fears of any serious health concerns, but it triggered its own set of speculation and conspiracy theories instead.
