Pressure on Palace to reveal truth about Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo: Picture is ‘killed’ by top agencies over claims first image of Princess since her surgery has been ‘manipulated’ – as fans point to ‘errors’ which ‘prove it has been edited’

The Palace is today facing questions after top agencies ‘killed’ Kate’s Mother’s Day photo over claims it has been ‘manipulated’ – with fans pointing to ‘errors’ that allegedly prove it has been edited.

Concerns were raised over possible digital manipulation of a new family photograph showing Kate, 42, with her three children in the first official picture of the Princess of Wales since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.

From Prince Louis’ hands to clothing patterns and lines not matching up, eagle-eyed members of the public pointed out a litany of what they believed to be suspicious issues with the photo.

The most common ‘editing errors’ found by social media sleuths were Kate’s absent wedding ring, Charlotte’s blurred skirt and her partially missing sleeve and Kate’s misaligned zip. 

The picture, said to be taken by the Prince of Wales, is still up on the official social media channels and the Palace has not yet commented on the concerns raised about the picture.

Meanwhile picture agencies including Reuters, AP, Getty, and AFP withdrew the photo last night, saying it may have been digitally manipulated.

It appears Charlotte’s hand was copied over from another picture as there is an empty space where her sleeve should be

Kate’s zip appears to be misaligned on the photo as the top of it is further left and appears significantly lighter than the rest of the zip

Charlotte’s hair seems to end abruptly on her shoulder on her right despite her hair on the left going on for a few inches

The corner of Charlotte’s skirt was pointed out as another ‘editing error’ by social media sleuths

Royal watchers flocked to social media to say that Princess Charlotte’s wrist and sleeve of her jumper appeared to have been digitally altered as well as her knee seeming ‘blurry’. 

There also appeared to be an issue with the heel of Charlotte’s right boot, the corner of her skirt and her hair stopping abruptly on her shoulder.

Other frequently identified ‘editing fails’ were Kate’s missing wedding ring on her left hand, her other hand as well as her hair looking ‘blurred’ and the zipper on her jacket not lining up correctly. One even claimed her chin and neck had been photoshopped.

In the image, one of Louis’ fingers looks shorter than the others as he appears to be crossing his fingers in an odd gesture. Social media sleuths also said that his trousers look digitally altered.

Further aspects pointed out by social media users include the length of Prince George’s forearms, the paving and window panes behind the family as well as the late-autumn leaves on the trees not matching up with the claim the photo is recent.

Without an official response from the palace, the apparent editing errors in the photograph added fuel to the fire of the conspiracy theories circulating about the whereabouts of Kate Middleton. 

Royal commentator Peter Hunt said: ‘This is damaging for the royals. They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate.

‘Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.’

This comes as AP issued an alert asking for the picture to be ‘killed’ from their system, saying: ‘At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.’

A spokesperson for the agency told The Telegraph that the photo shows ‘an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand’.

Others demand it be removed from picture libraries for ‘editorial’ reasons.

AFP wrote: ‘Mandatory kill. Due to an editorial issue this photo by the Prince of Wales has been withdrawn… and may no longer by used in any manner. 

‘Please immediately remove it from all your online services, stop using it in any other fashion and delete it from your servers.’

The Princess of Wales has not been seen since she attended the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham 

Reuters said the picture was being removed  ‘following a post publication review’

Eagle-eyed members of the public were quick to point out odd aspects of the image

Kate left hospital on January 29 and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor to be reunited with her children almost two weeks after having the surgery. Pictured: Kate and William in September 2022 

William has been stepping up royal engagements in Kate’s absence. Pictured: Prince William and Princess Kate are seen at a  ceremonial welcome for The President and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea at Horse Guards Parade on November 21 last year

Reuters said the picture was being removed from circulation ‘following a post publication review’. 

There is huge concern in the news industry currently about the manipulation of photographs using AI technology, although it is not clear whether that happened in this case.

A spokesperson for the PA news agency said it had not killed the picture on its service, but was seeking urgent clarification from Kensington Palace about the concerns raised about manipulation. 

It comes after the Wales’ family Christmas card was also criticised for a ‘Photoshop fail’ with one of Louis’ fingers apparently missing – at the time, sources insisted it was merely bent back.

Kensington Palace appeared to be taken by surprise at the development last night and declined to comment. But it will do little to quell fevered online and social media speculation around the princess, which the release of the picture had hoped to do.

It was originally posted directly by Kensington Palace onto their social media channels and then sent to global picture agencies. It is said to have been taken by the Prince of Wales earlier in the week at their home in Windsor and is understood to have been sent on to the palace press office on Saturday directly by the couple.

Outside of a grainy paparazzi picture last week, it is the first time that Kate has been seen since she joined the Royal Family at church on Christmas Day.

While in previous years the couple have issued pictures taken by professional photographers, Adelaide Cottage has become a particular sanctuary for the family in the months since the princess was admitted to hospital on January 16, with only closest family permitted to visit. The photo was accompanied by a personally-penned message which read: ‘Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C’

Despite what was clearly a serious operation, resulting in the need for a lengthy period of recuperation, many will feel comforted by how radiant Kate looks.

The photo of the princess is the first released since she was admitted to the London Clinic, the private hospital where the King underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate, for a planned operation on January 16.

King Charles, 75, visited his daughter-in-law’s bedside after being admitted himself on January 26, the 11th day of Kate’s stay. She was also visited by her husband, William.

Kate left the hospital on January 29, almost two weeks later, and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s annual Christmas card image with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, appeared to have a Photoshop fail 

The Christmas card image, taken by Josh Shinner, appeared to be missing one element – Prince Louis’ middle finger in another apparent editing mishap

Officials have said  that the Princess of Wales (pictured on December 5) continues to do ‘well’. Kate plans to return to royal engagements after Easter

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams was joined by royal fans in showing their delight at seeing the Mother’s Day photo of Kate

The 42-year-old future queen was last pictured in public during a Christmas Day walk in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Kate is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter, and William, 41, had temporarily stepped back from his royal role to juggle caring for her and their children. 

In the photograph, wearing jeans with a casual jacket and jumper, plus her favourite £250 Chloe walking boots, Kate sits with her arms around Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis. Prince George, ten, stands behind her with his arms draped around his mother’s neck. 

All four are clearly roaring with laughter, either at their father or something behind the camera.

Kensington Palace’s refusal to provide any significant update on the princess’ condition has been criticised in recent weeks. Although they made clear from the start the public should not expect a running commentary on her recuperation – at the personal request of Kate – their silence has resulted in a swirl of speculation and innuendo in the darker reaches of social media.

King Charles also shared a touching tribute to his ‘darling Mama’ on Mother’s Day and wrote: ‘Wishing all Mothers, and those who are missing their Mums today, a peaceful Mothering Sunday’

Some of it has been vacuous and clearly designed to titillate, such as the ludicrous suggestion that the princess may be recovering from a ‘Brazilian bum lift’.

Other claims, however, have been downright sick and slanderous in the extreme, often accompanied by frighteningly sophisticated, mocked-up photographs of Kate.

The chatter of gossipmongers has become so loud that mainstream publications, from the New York Times to British Vogue, have taken to writing about it, while even the BBC and ITV have run reports on the trending issue ‘#WhereisKate?’