Palace Releases Kate Middleton's First Photo After Surgery, Sparks 'Manipulation' Concerns

Kensington Palace released an photograph on Kate Middleton after weeks of speculations over her whereabouts following her abdominal surgery.

This photo released by Kensington Palace of Kate Middleton with her three children were retracted by news agencies on suspicion of manipulation

Source : X/@KensingtonRoyal

Following weeks of gossip on social media over Kate Middleton's whereabouts since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago, Kensington Palace issued a photograph of Kate, the Princess of Wales on Sunday. The photo was issued after speculations were rife as to what happened to Kate since she left a hospital on January 29 after a nearly two-week stay following planned surgery.    

She has not made any public appearances since Christmas Day. 

In the photo shared by Kensington Palace on Sunday, Kate Middleton, seated on a chair, could be seen surrounded by her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The image was credited to the Prince of Wales and was captioned with a greeting for Mother's Day. As per reports, Kensington Palace said that the image was taken by William this past week in Windsor, where the family lives in Adelaide Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

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

"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," the image caption read, adding, "Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."

Soon after the image was picked up by news agencies, many of them retracted it later saying that it appeared to be "manipulated". 

The Associated Press also recalled the photo for the same reason and said that other news agencies also followed the suit.

In a report, the news agency stated: "AP initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. But AP later retracted the image because, at closer inspection, it appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards."

The discrepancy that the news agency said it spotted in the image was "an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand." 

The New York Times also said that it had removed the image after AP asked its clients to remove it from all platforms.