Royal fans have gone from surprise to suspicion after a Mother's Day photo of the Princess of Wales and her children drew questions about its "authenticity."
The 42-year-old British royal, who has not been seen publicly in almost two months following her recent abdominal surgery, appeared online in a heartwarming family photo celebrating the UK's Mother's Day.
The image, reportedly taken by Prince William earlier this week, depicts Catherine with her arms wrapped around their three children; Princess Charlotte, eight, Prince Louis, five, and Prince George, 10.
However, major news agencies have now pulled the photo in question from their associated platforms, with global media companies Associated Press and Reuters sending retraction notices to their partners.
"The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. But AP later retracted the image because, upon closer inspection, it appeared that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards," Associated Press said on its website. "The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand."
Upon closer inspection of the photo, fans have pointed out several inaccuracies. From Charlotte's missing sleeve and the different head and hair patterns to the odd step behind Louis, royal fans have scrutinized every aspect of this seemingly wholesome family photo.
Charlotte's hair appears to be brushed out, while Catherine has a distinct jaw line
Part of Catherine's zipper seems to have blurred out but a distinct line remains
The pattern on Louis's jumper doesn't match in one place
Fans wondered if his finger has been unfinished, and the line behind Louis missed
- Charlotte's hair appears to be brushed out, while Catherine has a distinct jaw line
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It's not the first time the royals have been accused of Photoshop, but the fails have only fueled more speculation surrounding Catherine.
In January, Kensington Palace announced that Catherine would be taking a break from public engagements until after Easter, following her "successful" abdominal surgery. Since then, numerous rumours and conspiracy theories have circulated online regarding her whereabouts, including speculation that she is in a coma or has undergone plastic surgery.
Last week, Catherine's team addressed the speculation but did not provide further details about the surgery.
"Kensington Palace made it clear in January about the timelines of the princess' recovery and we'll only be providing significant updates," her representative told Page Six at the time. "That guidance remains."
They insisted that she was "doing well."
Written with additional reporting from Cover Media.
