Kate says she edited Mother’s Day photo

The image was taken by the Prince of Wales. It was the first of Catherine to be released since her surgery in January. AP noted an “inconsistency in alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand. Catherine apologised for any confusion the photograph had caused.

Kensington Palace says it will not be reissuing the original unedited photograph of Kate and her children. The picture shows the princess sitting down, surrounded by Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George. It was the first official photo of the Princess of Wales since her abdominal surgery two months ago. The image was posted with a message from Catherine which said: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

Since then she has stayed out of the public eye. The photo was only intended as an amateur, family photograph, say royal sources. Kensington Palace put out video footage without any external journalists being present. Five photo agencies retracted the image over concerns it had been “manipulated.

The only previous photo of the princess since her operation was a paparazzi shot, which was not used by UK news organisations because of privacy concerns. The Associated Press issued a “kill notification#34: - an industry term used to make a retraction. No replacement photo will be sent. Reuters said it too had withdrawn the image.

Getty Images became the fourth organisation to retract the photograph. The Associated Press said it appears that the source has manipulated the image and has withdrawn it. Most news organisations follow their own strict guidelines on the use of manipulated photographs. They only use them when accompanied by an explanation that the image has been changed from the original.

News agencies, such as AP, make a commitment to their clients that their photos are accurate and not digitally manipulated. AP’s rules only allow minor adjustments in certain circumstances, including cropping and toning.

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