Princess Kate's apology has taken the heat off Prince William, after the Prince of Wales was caught at the centre of a photo scandal.
The Prince of Wales, 41, took a photo of the Princess of Wales, 42, surrounded by their three children for Mother's Day.
Several hours after the picture was released, top photo agencies issued a "kill" notice to recall the shot of the Waleses.
This was after many inconsistencies within the photo were noticed by royal fans online.
Prince William took the photograph of Kate and their children
Getty
Kate is usually the person who captures family shots, including several of the children's birthdays and previous Father's Day pictures.
However, this photograph was taken by Prince William which resulted in a "manipulation" storm.
The Princess of Wales took to X today to issue an apology for confusion, confirming that she had edited the photograph.
She wrote: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.
Kate posing with her three children for Mother's Day
Kensington Palace / X
"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."
At least seven digital alterations were noticed by Getty, AP and Reuters who originally recalled the photograph on Sunday evening.
The first discrepancy was that part of Princess Charlotte's wrist appeared to be missing.
Prince Louis, five, was also wearing a jumper with a pattern that did not seem to match up.
Prince William is at the centre of the royal photo scandal
ReutersThe shading around Louis' jumper was questioned, and many wondered why a tree in the background was in full bloom despite it being early March.
The floor behind the Waleses additionally appeared to be digitally manipulated.
Kate's wedding ring was also missing, which is quite unusual for the princess, and there was an inconsistency with the zip on her jacket.
The PA news agency originally did not join Getty, Reuters and AP in recalling the photograph on Sunday evening. However, they have since withdrawn the photograph from their picture service.
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Kate had 'planned abdominal surgery' in JanuaryGettyA 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.”
The Prince of Wales is expected to attend the Commonwealth Day Service later today with Queen Camilla, 76. Princess Kate is not expected to return to royal duties until at least after Easter.
Meanwhile, King Charles, 75, has paused public-facing duties as he receives cancer treatment.