AceShowbiz - A photo agency has spoken out after Kate Middleton was hit with a new speculation that a recent photo of her was digitally altered. Goff Photos, the agency that captured Kate and Prince William in the Range Rover, issued a statement to deny the claims.

Speaking to E! News, the agency admitted that the snaps "have been cropped and lightened." However, it insisted that "nothing has been doctored."

The said picture saw Kate and William in the backseat of a Range Rover while leaving Windsor Castle. The photo looked normal at first glance, but eagled-eyed fans noticed that the bricks "do not match" in the background.

Others also pointed out that the Princess of Wales could be seen rocking a hairstyle that looked similar to her appearance at the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme back in 2016. At the time, she wore a black pillbox hat.

On the other hand, a source revealed to Entertainment Tonight that Kate wanted to be "transparent" amid the Photoshop controversy. The source added that Kate's Mother's Day photo was aimed to thank the public for their support during her recovery and provide a lovely picture of the children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Another insider, meanwhile, noted that the trolling and criticism after her abdominal surgery had gone a bit too far.

Kate herself recently apologized after major photo agencies, the Associated Press (AP) Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Getty Images, issued a "kill notice" regarding the photo following a suspected manipulation. AP explained in a statement, "At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image."

In her apology statement, Kate 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." Despite the apology, Kensington Palace has maintained that it will not release the unedited version.