LONDON: Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Monday apologised and admitted to editing an official portrait of her released by the palace that prompted AFP and other agencies to withdraw the image.

Kate, 42, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service, and underwent abdominal surgery in January, fuelling speculation about her health.

Her Kensington Palace office on Sunday sought to dispel rumours by distributing an official photograph said to have been taken by her husband Prince William of his wife with their three children.

But questions quickly emerged about the Mother’s Day portrait of a smiling Kate, casually dressed and seated in a garden chair, surrounded by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

They included several inconsistencies such as the zip of Kate’s jacket being misaligned in one place, while part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve is missing.

The eight-year-old princess’s hair also ends abruptly on her shoulder.

Responding to the growing controversy on Monday, the palace issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), signed by “C” for Catherine.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” it stated.

“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

Royal sources told several British media outlets that Kate had made “minor adjustments” to the picture.

Kensington Palace, however, said it would not republish the original, unedited photo.