The Princess of Wales has apologised “for any confusion” after she admitted to “editing” a controversial Mother’s Day image of her and her children.
In a statement released this morning, Kate said: “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. C.”
Royal sources added that the Princess of Wales made “minor adjustments” and that Kate and the Prince of Wales wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day.
“The Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day,” the source added.
Reuters, Associated Press (AP), Getty Images, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the Press Association told media outlets to “kill” the photo from their systems and archives after the image was circulated on Sunday.
AP told Sky News the photo shows an “inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand”.
Kensington Palace had initially refused to comment after the image was pulled.
The picture in question was released to celebrate Mother’s Day and shows Kate surrounded by her and Prince William’s three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Earlier, AP had told Sky News in a statement: “The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace.
“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.”