Newspapers remove a “edited picture” of the Princess of Wales due to worries about “manipulation” of the procedure

According to CNN, a picture of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her kids that Kensington Palace had issued was being pulled by major news outlets due to possible tampering.

Following weeks of intense curiosity regarding the princess’s whereabouts and health, stoked by a spike in social media conspiracy theories, the picture, which was allegedly taken of her first public appearance since having stomach surgery in January, finally came to an end.

Upon closer inspection, the photo that was made public on Monday—along with a sincere Mother’s Day greeting from the princess thanking everyone for their support—became questionable.

With reservations, the Associated Press said, “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”

Reported by CNN, Agence France-Presse (AFP) explained the deletion as “an editorial issue,” directing all web outlets to take down the image right now.

CNN said that it had contacted Kensington Palace for a formal response and was now examining the picture. The 42-year-old princess is anticipated to return to public duties by Easter in late March, the palace had previously said, however they had kept quiet about the type of the noncancerous operation.

Online rumors escalated during the princess’s protracted absence, and they only subsided briefly when a picture of Kate in her mother’s vehicle appeared in March and she was wearing sunglasses in the front passenger seat.

Still, whispers continued, made worse by other royal family issues, such as Prince William’s mysterious absence from a big family event earlier this month.

Kensington Palace is under increasing pressure to find a middle ground between protecting the future Queen’s medical privacy and revealing more details about her as the debate develops.

The palace pushed back against rumors in a rare statement released in February, saying, “We made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’s recovery, and we’d only be providing significant updates.” “That advice is still valid,” CNN said.