Speculation has been growing after she underwent abdominal surgery earlier this month, having not been seen until last week

Kate Middleton has responded to claims her Mother’s Day photo had been edited, after people noticed a number of ‘huge errors’ in the image.

Kate, 42, has been at the centre of speculation after she appeared to withdraw from the public eye, following a planned abdominal surgery at a private hospital in London in January.

She was spotted by paparazzi on Monday 4 March while out in the car with her mum – the first time she was seen publicly since Christmas Day.

Kensington Palace then released an official photo over the weekend to mark Mother’s Day, along with a message from the Princess of Wales.

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“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” she wrote.

“Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.”

The accompanying photograph showed Kate posing with her three children – Prince George, 10, Charlotte, eight and Louis, five – with the post adding she was ‘unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter’.

A spokesperson said: “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate.

“She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”

The statement continued: “Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.

“The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements.

“She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.”

However, by Sunday evening, the image had been pulled by a number of global press agencies, including AP, AFP and Reuters, amid claims the photo had been ‘manipulated’.

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“At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the Associated Press (AP) said in its recall notice.

Many people noticed a few strange details in the image, including an area near Charlotte’s sleeve that seems to have been edited, bizarrely patchy window panes (and a lack of reflection in the window itself), Kate wearing no wedding ring and her zip stopping part way down her jacket.

Kate has now responded in a statement, apologising for the ‘confusion’ the image had caused.

In a message signed from ‘C’, she wrote: “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.”

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AP said in a notice on its website that a number of agencies had decided to remove the photo as it ‘appeared to have been manipulated’.

“Efforts to tamp down rumors and supposition may have backfired after royal observers noticed inconsistencies in the photo’s details,” it said.

“While there was no suggestion the image was fake, AP pulled the photograph from circulation because it did not meet its photo standards. Kensington Palace declined to comment.”

The agency added that its editorial standards state how ‘images must be accurate’ and that, as such, it ‘does not use altered or digitally manipulated images’.

Instagram/@princeandprincessofwales

“AP’s news values and principles explain that minor photo editing, including cropping and toning and color adjustments, are acceptable when necessary for clear and accurate reproduction and should maintain the authentic nature of the photograph,” it continued.

“Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable.

“Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning. The removal of ‘red eye’ from photographs is not permissible.”

LADbible Group has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.