Fans have pointed out all of the supposed ‘editing fails’ in Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo, which was removed by a number of photo agencies after ‘confusion’ grew.
Kate, 42, has found herself at the centre of speculation after a planned abdominal surgery at a private hospital in London in January saw her withdraw from the public eye - with many left questioning her whereabouts.
Amid the circling rumours, Kensington Palace released an official photo over the weekend to mark Mother’s Day, along with a message from the Princess of Wales.
"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," she wrote.
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"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'.
However, it didn’t take long for eagle-eyed social media users to point out a number of strange details in the image, which was later pulled by a number of global press agencies last night.
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The Associated Press (AP) said in its kill notice: "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.
"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."
Online sleuths also pointed out the various ‘fails’, with many surprised by how many the snap contained.
Charlotte’s sleeve
One error appears to be a patch near Charlotte’s wrist, which shows part of her cardigan sleeve disappearing.
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Kate’s zip
If you zoom in on Kate’s chest, you’ll notice the zip on her top randomly stops part-way down.
Kate’s missing ring
Some people clocked that Kate also wasn’t wearing a wedding ring in the photo, while her hand on Louis’ waist also looks suspiciously blurry.
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Windows in background
The window panes are oddly patchy, while others have also found it curious that the family has no reflection in the window itself.
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Louis’ finger
Louis’ right hand position is possible – as many people who’ve tried will know – but it’s fair to say it’s not the most natural of poses for the prince, who was also missing a finger in another recent family snap.
Charlotte’s skirt
Around her right hip, Charlotte’s skirt also looks like it may have been edited, with an unusually sharp edge to the garment, which is riding up over her cardigan - despite its position elsewhere on her body.
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."
Topics: Royal Family, Kate Middleton
Jess Hardiman