Post-surgery Princess Kate photo retracted after concerns it was 'manipulated'

LONDON -- A photo shared by Princess Kate and Prince William on their official X account, and distributed via Kensington Palace, has been retracted by several global news agencies over concerns it was "manipulated."

On Sunday morning, Kate, the Princess of Wales, issued a statement on social media thanking the public for their support in the months since she underwent abdominal surgery and wishing moms in the United Kingdom a happy Mother's Day, alongside a photo showing her with her three children. Several hours later, though, the Associated Press, the AFP, Getty Images and Reuters news agencies removed the photo, which had been attributed to Prince William as the photographer, from their platforms.

Reuters said it was taking it down after a post-publication review. Both Getty and AFP had takedown notices that said the photo was removed for editorial reasons.

In a statement to ABC News, the AP said it had: "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."

Kensington Palace declined to comment.