Kate Middleton has apologised for her Mother’s Day photo

On Sunday morning, the family released a picture, taken by Prince William to celebrate Mother’s Day, of the Princess of Wales and her three children –  Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George.

This was the first image of Catherine that had been released since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.

But since then, Getty Images, AFP, Reuters, Associated Press and PA Media have all retracted the image over concerns it had been “manipulated.”

The agencies pointed out an “inconsistency in alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand”.

In a statement on Monday morning, the Princess of Wales said: “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 photo came after weeks of speculation about why no pictures of her had been released by the palace since the operation.