LONDON - AFP and other news agencies removed from their services on Sunday the first official photo of Britain's Princess Kate to be released since her abdominal surgery, saying the image was found to have been manipulated.
The 42-year-old princess, whose husband Prince William is heir to the British throne, has been recovering mainly at their home in Windsor, west of London, since leaving hospital on January 29.
The photo released by Kensington Palace to mark Mother's Day in Britain shows the smiling Princess of Wales sitting on a garden chair, dressed in jeans, a sweater and a dark jacket, surrounded by her three laughing children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," read a message accompanying the photo on the social media platform X.
"Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day," said the message, which was signed "C" for Catherine.
In a statement, the palace said the photo was taken "in Windsor earlier this week" by Kate's husband, Prince William.
However, multiple news agencies including AFP later pulled the image over concerns it had been manipulated.
"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to light that the Handout issued by Kensington Palace today of Kate and the kids had been altered, therefore it was withdrawn from AFP systems," the agency said in a note to clients.
The family photograph was the first official image of Kate released by the royal family since her hospitalisation at the London Clinic on January 16 for abdominal surgery.
The future queen was last pictured in public during a Christmas Day walk in Sandringham, eastern England.
Photos published by TMZ earlier in March showed Kate wearing sunglasses while being driven in a car, with the celebrity news site saying they were taken near Windsor Castle.
UK media outlets including the Daily Mail and The Sun chose not to publish the pictures.
The sighting came after a flurry of conspiracy theories on social media over the famously hard-working and dutiful princess's absence from the spotlight.
The speculation came despite Kensington Palace clearly saying at the time of her surgery that she would be "unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter".
It also said the surgery was not related to cancer.
Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.
Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C
📸 The Prince of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/6DywGBpLLQ— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 10, 2024