Kate Middleton has apologized for altering a family photo released Sunday in honor of Mother’s Day in the UK, admitting that she “occasionally experiments with editing.”

In a statement released via the Prince and Princess of Wales’ X (formerly Twitter) account, Kate explained that she digitally edited the photograph taken by Prince William and was sorry for any confusion the image had caused. 

“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,” the message posted Monday read.

The charming image, the first of Kate to be released since the princess underwent abdominal surgery in January, shows Kate being embraced by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was shared by Kensington Palace Sunday.

However, within hours of the image being released on social media, the Associated Press (AP) Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Getty Images issued a “kill notice” regarding the photograph, and pulled it from their sites amid claims it had been digitally manipulated. 

Charlotte’s hand looks like it has been edited in the image, Prince Louis’ fingers appear to be crossed, and the tree in the background appears far greener than most for this time of the year. 

Kensington Palace has said the photograph was taken last week and that it will not be reissuing the unedited photograph of Kate and her children. 

Kate’s tweet came hours ahead of Monday’s Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey during which King Charles will be represented for the first time by Queen Camilla. While Charles has recorded his first broadcast since his cancer diagnosis ahead of the service, it has been the story of the Wales’ family photograph that has dominated international news headlines for the past 24 hours. 

Palace aides have said that Princess Kate took to social media after a day of conspiracy theories about the image because she wanted to explain what had happened. An aide described the editing as “minor adjustments.”

The source added “the Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.”

It is understood to be the first time a royal photograph has been recalled because of digital editing. On Monday morning, the Press Association in Britain said it had been seeking “urgent clarification about the image from Kensington Palace.”

A spokesperson for PA 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.”

While the image, which a Palace source said was intended “to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day” was designed to reassure the public that Kate is home and recovering well, the fact that it has been digitally edited has started a new round of damaging internet rumors and conspiracy theories. 

Royal watchers have pointed out that the princess is not wearing her wedding ring in the picture, and questioned whether the photo was actually taken in Windsor last week. While William took the picture, (it is believed to be the first time he has taken an “official”’ family photo) Monday’s statement confirms Kate edited the image on her computer. 

Kate has taken many images of the couple’s children and while she considers herself an amateur photographer, she is renowned for her charming and intimate family portraits. The Mother’s Day photograph remains on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram account.