SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:Kate Middleton's New Picture Pulled From Photo Agencies for Being "Manipulated"

Is Kate Middleton the victim of a Photoshop fail?SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center

Just hours after Kensington Palace released its first official pic of the Princess of Wales since her abdominal surgery in January, the Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images and Agence France-Presse pulled it from their databases and issued "kill notices," or advisories to editors and clients to remove or not use a pic.

The photo, which was shared the morning of March 10 on Kate and husband Prince William's Instagram and X pages in honor of U.K.'s Mother's Day, featured Kate surrounded by their kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

"The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace," the news wire said in a statement to NBC News. "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."

Meanwhile, Reuters noted that the photo "has been withdrawn following a post publication review," while AFP cited an "editorial issue," with the pic in a notice on their site, NBC News reported.

Getty Images said in its own message, "For editorial reasons, please remove the following image(s) from your system and do not use in any manner."

E! News has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment and has not heard back.

The picture was released about a week after Kate was photographed riding in a car alongside her mother Carole Middleton near Windsor, marking the first image of her since she, William and their kids' appearances at the royal family's public Christmas walk in December 2023, weeks before she underwent her surgery in a private hospital in London.

The Palace had said in January that "based on the current medical advice," Kate is "unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter." Amid the speculation about her, a spokesperson for the princess told E! News on Feb. 29, "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess' recovery and we'd only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands."

(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)

Read on for more about the latest royal family news, including King Charles III's cancer battle. 

After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule.

The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.

The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.

While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.

"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."

The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.

On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th. 

Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.

"Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."

"His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."

Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!