Princess of Wales says she edited family photo, after news agencies flagged it for manipulation

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, issued an apology Monday for "any confusion" about a photograph she shared for U.K. Mother's Day after multiple news agencies issued a "kill" notification to retract the image. 

"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," Princess Kate said on X, formerly Twitter. 

The original image shared Sunday featured Kate with her three children and the caption, "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."

The princess, also known as Kate Middleton, was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in January after undergoing abdominal surgery. She is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter, officials said. 

The picture was the first official image of the Princess of Wales since her surgery.

The image that the royal family shared Sunday sparked concerns that it had been edited. This caused the wire services Getty Images, AFP, Reuters, PA and the Associated Press to remove the image, per the BBC. 

The Associated Press issued a "kill notification," stating: "At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image. No replacement photo will be sent."

AFP issued a "mandatory kill notice" to retract the image as well.

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.