AceShowbiz - Kensington Palace recently published a new photograph featuring Kate Middleton and her three kids to celebrate Mother's Day, marking the first post-op picture of the Princess of Wales after she underwent an abdominal surgery in January. However, major photo agencies issued a "kill notice" regarding the photo following a suspected manipulation.

On Sunday, March 10, the Associated Press (AP) Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Getty Images stated that they had each deleted the photo that saw Kate sitting in a chair with Prince George standing behind her. Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, meanwhile, stood next to Kate on each side.

Of the reason why they issued the "kill notice" to media outlets around the globe, AP explained in a statement, "At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image."

Insiders, meanwhile, told The Mirror that the photo agencies believed the photograph of Prince William's wife and children had been edited from the original. Some Internet users additionally pointed out several Photoshop fails in the picture, which allegedly was taken last week in Windsor. Among the errors were the missing fabric in Charlotte's sleeve and the fact that George's right hand was out of focus in the picture.

Alongside the picture, the official Instagram account for Kate and Prince William wrote, "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months." It signed off the message, "Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C."

Some fans, however, remained skeptical despite the new post. "Shout-out to whoever is doing PR ... Because nothing says 'let's put the conspiracy theories to rest' quite like a very badly photoshopped/ai generated photo," one commented. Another noted, "The people on here who said it was photoshopped were right! Organizations around the world are now pulling this image."

Prior to this, TMZ released a picture featuring Kate in her first sighting after her health scare. She was seen sitting in a passenger seat inside a car while her mom Carole was driving. Fans, however, thought that it wasn't Kate but her sister Pippa Middleton instead.