Princess of Wales apologizes over altered family photo

LONDON — Catherine, the Princess of Wales, apologized Monday for doctoring a photo of her with her three children, which was recalled by several news agencies Sunday after they determined the image had been manipulated.

The decision to recall the photo reignited a storm of speculation about Catherine, also known as Kate. She has not been seen in public since Christmas

Day and underwent abdominal surgery in January. In her statement, the 42-year-old princess chalked up the alteration to a photographer’s innocent desire to retouch the image.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate wrote in a post on social media. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

The photo, which marked Mother’s Day in Britain, depicted a smiling Kate surrounded by her children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

Kensington Palace said William had taken the photo last week in Windsor, England, where the family lives in Adelaide Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

But Kate is known as a keen photographer, and the palace often distributes her photos of the family.

Hours after Kensington Palace released the photo, The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence FrancePresse issued advisories urging news organizations to remove the image.

The AP said after a post-publication inspection of the photograph, its editors determined the image “shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.” The source of the photo, it said “had manipulated the image in a way that does not meet AP’s photo standards.”

A palace official said Kate made minor adjustments in what was meant to be an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day. The official reiterated William had taken the photo, though Kate edited it.