News agencies retract photo of Kate, Princess of Wales, over concerns it was manipulated

The Associated Press and other news agencies issued mandatory kill notices Sunday on the first photo released in months of Kate, the Princess of Wales, citing concerns that the photo was manipulated.

The photo, released by Kensington Palace earlier Sunday, featured the princess surrounded by her three children, while Kate sat in a chair. The photo was credited to Prince William of Wales and was reported to have been taken in Windsor earlier in the week.

The photo marked the first time the public got to see the former Kate Middleton since she had abdominal surgery in January. Her absence from public appearances has led to far-fetched conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and provoked concerns about her wellbeing.

The AP initially published the photo but later retracted the image “because at closer inspection, it appeared the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards,” according to the AP.

The AP pointed to an “inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand,” in describing the apparent manipulation.

The AP was one of several major news agencies to demand news outlets not publish the image. According to various screenshots and media reports, Getty Images, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) have all issued mandatory kill notices on the photo.

“At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” read the official AP kill notification. “Please remove it from all platforms, including social, where it may still be visible.”

Royal reporter Chris Ship reported that the AFP agency cited an “editorial issue” with the photo in its kill notice. AFP ordered that the photo “no longer be used in any manner.”

A spokesperson for Getty Images said in a statement to The Hill that the photo was removed after it was identified as “problematic.”

“Earlier today our Picture Desk identified a problematic image provided to Getty Images by Kensington Palace. We can confirm the image in question was removed from our site in accordance with our editorial policy.”

Updated at 10:03 p.m. ET