Catherine, Princess of Wales, apologized on Monday and admitted editing an official portrait of her released by the palace after AFP and other agencies withdrew the image.
Kate, 42, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service and underwent abdominal surgery in January, fueling speculation about her health, especially online.
Her office at Kensington Palace tried to dispel rumors on Sunday by circulating an official photo allegedly taken by her husband, Prince William, of her with their three children.
But questions soon arose about the Mother's Day portrait of a smiling Kate, dressed casually and seated in a lawn chair, surrounded by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The discrepancies included several inconsistencies, such as Charlotte's left hand being misaligned with the sleeve of her vest and a missing portion of her sleeve.
The eight-year-old princess's hair ended abruptly at her shoulder, while Kate's zipper was lighter than elsewhere.
AFP, Getty, Associated Press (AP) and Reuters all have policies on distributing doctored images and have withdrawn them, despite initially publishing the photo provided by Kensington Palace.
Britain's Domestic Press Association said Monday that it too was withdrawing the image, noting that there was “no clarification” about the image from Kensington Palace.
Within minutes of the PA announcing its decision, the palace issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), signed “C” for Catherine.
“Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time,” the report said. “I wanted to apologize for any confusion the family photo we shared yesterday caused.”
Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time. I wanted to apologize for any confusion the family photo we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone who celebrated had a happy Mother's Day. c
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024
– 'Harmful' –
Many commentators suggested the furore had cast new doubt on the palace's reassurances about Kate's health and recovery.
William, 41, and other senior royals are expected to attend the annual Commonwealth Day celebrations in central London later on Monday.
Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, said the situation was “damaging” for the family. “They knew there would be intense interest in any photo they released of Kate,” he said.
“Their challenge is that people will now wonder if they can be trusted and believed the next time they release a health update.”
Graham Smith, leader of the republican pressure group calling for an elected head of state, added: “It's very simple. Do not use your own photos. It's PR, not news.”
The intense interest in Kate's absence stems from the fact that King Charles III's eldest son, William, is heir apparent to the throne, meaning she will one day be queen.
According to Kensington Palace, she was admitted to hospital on January 16 for a planned operation and then left on January 29 to recover at home until at least Easter on March 31.
The controversial photo, published across all royal social media channels and widely picked up in Britain and around the world, was accompanied by a message signed by Kate.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the past two months. I wish everyone a happy Mother's Day,” it read.
But in a letter to customers, AFP said it had withdrawn the image after “it came to light that Kensington Palace's award of Kate and the children today had been changed”.
The AP said it withdrew the image because “a closer look revealed that the source had manipulated the image in a manner that did not meet AP's photographic standards.” Reuters said the same.
– Health issues –
British newspapers quickly changed their front pages late on Sunday to reflect the brewing controversy.
Royal officials did not specify the nature of Kate's surgery but said it was not cancer-related.
Earlier this month, celebrity news site TMZ published a stolen photo of Kate wearing sunglasses while being driven by her mother.
The sighting, which is said to have taken place near William and Kate's home in Windsor, west of London, also failed to dampen conspiracy theories on social media about Kate's absence from the spotlight.
The announcement about Kate's hospitalization came just before another about her father-in-law's treatment for a benign enlarged prostate.
It was subsequently announced that he had been diagnosed with an unrelated – but as yet unspecified – cancer, forcing him to cancel public engagements except for some official gatherings.
Charles, 75, has only been king and British head of state since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.
His wife, Queen Camilla, 76, has since taken the lead as the royals' top figure at public events.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)