Kate royal photo: Why has 'kill notice' been issued over photo of Princess of Wales and her children? Was the image photoshopped? What has Buckingham Palace said?

A ‘kill notice' has been issued by photo agencies around the Mother’s Day photo of Princess, Catherine of Wales and her children published by Kensington Palace on social media

A photograph published by Kensington Palace of Catherine, Princess of Wales with her children was meant to mark Mother’s Day on Sunday.

But the image only served to fuel conspiracy theories and speculation over the health of Kate following abdominal surgery in January, as a host of major international picture agencies withdrew the image because of concerns it had been manipulated.

But what exactly has happened with the photograph, and what is Kensington Palace saying?

The image of Kate and her children, said by the palace to have been taken by the Prince of Wales, was posted on social media. Picture: PA

What does the image of Kate and her children show?

The image of Kate and her children, said by the palace to have been taken by the Prince of Wales, was posted on social media on Sunday.

The picture shows Kate sitting in a chair with her arms around Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are on either side of her, with Prince George standing behind, as all four smile at the camera.

In the social media post, Kate thanked the public “for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months”.

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.

Was the image photoshopped or doctored?

There has been speculation that edits had been made to the left sleeve of Princess Charlotte’s cardigan. Picture agency Associated Press (AP) has said the photo shows an "inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand".

Other areas of the picture have also raised concerns about possible manipulation. Questions have been raised about inconsistencies around the pattern on Prince Louis’ jumper and

What action have picture agencies taken over the photo?

Four major international picture agencies raised concerns late on Sunday the image had been manipulated.

AP, Reuters, Getty Images and Agence France-Presse (AFP) all told media outlets to "kill" the photo from their systems and archives on the back of the concerns.

A notice from AP stated: “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.” In a separate statement, the agency said: "The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP's photo standards.

"The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand."

A Getty Images spokesperson said: "Earlier today our picture desk identified a problematic image provided to Getty Images by Kensington Palace. We can confirm the image in question was removed from our site in accordance with our editorial policy."

AFP said in a statement it sent the mandatory kill notice after it had "come to light" that the photo "had been altered".

The PA news agency also confirmed on Monday morning it would be withdrawing the image from its picture service.

A spokesperson for the UK’s national news agency said: “Like other news agencies, PA Media issued the handout image provided by Kensington Palace of the Princess of Wales and her children in good faith yesterday.

“We became aware of concerns about the image and we carried a report about it last night, and made clear that we were seeking urgent clarification about the image from Kensington Palace. In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service.”

What is a ‘kill notice’?

A "kill notice" is an advisory that can be issued by picture agencies advising media outlets to remove or not use a photo.

What has the Princess of Wales and Kensington Palace said about the claims?

The Princess of Wales has now apologised for editing the family photograph.

In a post published late Monday morning, personally signed C for Catherine, she said: “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. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Royal sources have said the Princess of Wales made “minor adjustments” and that Kate and the Prince of Wales wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day.

Kensington Palace has not issued any separate statement on the matter.

Royal commentator Peter Hunt had earlier 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.”

The Princess of Wales left hospital following abdominal surgery on January 29, almost two weeks later, and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Details of the princess’s condition have not been disclosed, but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.