A photograph released by Kensington Palace which showed Kate Middleton, Britain’s Princess of Wales, with her children was recalled on Sunday night by several news and picture agencies amid concerns that it had been “manipulated”.
A picture of the princess sitting on a chair surrounded by her three children was posted to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts on Sunday morning, along with a message thanking wellwishers for their support.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the message read. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.”
It was the first photo of Kate Middleton since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago and was issued after weeks of speculation about her whereabouts.
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However, the photo was later removed by news and picture agencies, including Reuters, Associated Press, Getty and AFP, on the basis that it appeared to be manipulated, fuelling yet more speculation.
The photo of Ms Middleton in a chair surrounded by her three children was credited to her husband, William, Britain’s Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, and was said to have been taken earlier in the week in Windsor.
AP, one of the agencies which retracted the image on Sunday night, said it was withdrawn when it appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that “did not meet AP’s photo standards”.
The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.
The princess has been recovering from abdominal surgery since January 29th and was due to be recuperating until at least Easter. She is recovering at the family’s Adelaide Cottage home, close to Windsor Castle.
Prince William has temporarily stepped back from some official engagements to help care for her and look after their children.
She was admitted to the London Clinic – the private hospital where King Charles underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate – for a planned operation on 16 January.
Her long-term absence from the public eye has fuelled speculation online about her whereabouts and wellbeing.
Last week, it was reported that she would be attending a trooping the colour event in June, but the British army later removed the claim from its website after apparently publishing the information without approval from Kensington Palace.
The British royal has been spotted close to her home in Windsor, with an image circulating online showing the princess, wearing sunglasses, sitting in the front seat of a car being driven by her mother, Carole Middleton.
Details of the princess’s condition have not been revealed, but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that she wished her personal medical information to remain private. — PA and Guardian