Several users accused the Royal family of sharing an AI-generated image of Kate Middleton.
Controversy surrounds the first official photo of Britain's Princess Kate Middleton released since her abdominal surgery. Several news agencies have dropped the photo of the Princess with her three children, saying it was found to have been manipulated.
The Kensington Palace had released the photo on Sunday to mark Mother's Day in Britain.
The smiling Princess of Wales, dressed in jeans, a sweater and a dark jacket, is seen sitting on a garden chair. Her three children, George, Charlotte and Louis are with her in the photo. She does not have her engagement ring on in the photo, which has become a point of discussion on social media.
The Palace said it was taken by her husband Prince William, the heir to the British throne, at Windsor, where Kate has been recovering since her discharge.
A message accompanying the photo read: "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day." It was signed "C" for Catherine.
News Agencies Withdraw Photo
Three news agencies - AP, AFP and Reuters - withdrew the photo this morning citing manipulation concerns. But the UK's biggest news agency PA, through which the Royal family releases their official notifications, hasn't taken any such step yet.
In the photo, Princess Charlotte's left hand was found misaligned with the sleeve of her cardigan, which sparked doubt about the image's authenticity.
"It has come to light that the Handout issued by Kensington Palace today of Kate and the kids had been altered, therefore it was withdrawn from AFP systems," news agency AFP said in a note to its clients.
Kensington Palace has declined to comment on the withdrawal of the photo by the news agencies, BBC reported.
Several users accused the Royal family of sharing an AI-generated image of the Princess, pointing out this was the first time she was clicked without her engagement ring.
"If the #princessofwales photo is from this last week as the palace claims...why wouldn't Comms. make sure she had her engagement ring on her hand? Like, YOU KNOW people will hone in on that. Yes, PW allegedly took the photo but COME on," said a user.
Kate's absence from public view had fuelled intense speculation and wild conspiracy theories. The Palace had said at the time of her surgery she would be "unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter", adding that her surgery was not related to cancer.
Her father-in-law King Charles was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
The future queen was last pictured in December when she attended church services with her family in Sandringham.
She was hospitalised on January 16 for an abdominal surgery and discharged on January 29. The photo shared by the palace yesterday is the first official family photograph released since then. Before this, she was seen being driven in a car last Monday. Several UK outlets, including Daily Mail and The Sun, chose not to publish those photos.