LONDON (NEWSnet/AP) — Kate, U.K.'s Princess of Wales, apologized through a social media statement Monday for “confusion” caused by her editing of a family photo released by the palace.

The picture was posted by Kensington Palace on Sunday to mark Mother’s Day in Britain, and was the first official photo of Kate since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago. It was a photo of her with her children, and the palace said the photo was taken by Prince William.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” Kate said on social media. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

But hours after the posting, along with its circulation among news media and royal watchers, five major news agencies withdrew the image over concerns about digital manipulation. That list included The Associated Press.

The removal and announcements sent the social media rumor mill, already filled with speculation over over Kate’s recent surgery and recuperation, into overdrive.

In a post on social media, Kate said that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”

 

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” the post said.

AP was among the wire services that initially released the photo. While there was no suggestion the photo was fake, AP retracted it because closer inspection revealed the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. For instance, the photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.

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