Kensington Palace is under pressure to answer questions about whether the first picture of the Princess of Wales to be released after her surgery has been digitally altered.
The image of Kate and her children, said by the palace to have been taken by the Prince of Wales, was posted on social media.
The photograph was shared with media on Sunday but it was withdrawn by international picture agencies later the same day because of concerns that the image had been manipulated.
Kensington Palace has not yet commented on the concerns raised about the picture.
But without an official response from the palace, the confusion around the image is likely to fuel online conspiracy theories about Kate which have swirled on the internet since her abdominal surgery.
Royal commentator Peter Hunt said: “This is damaging for the royals. Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.”
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