Metadata from Kate Middleton's Mother's Day family photo revealed the image had been digitally altered multiple times before it was published on the official royal social media platforms, Fox News Digital confirmed.
Information included in the photo data showed timestamps indicating the photo was first edited at 9:54 p.m. on Friday, March 8, in Photoshop. On March 9, the image was altered once again at 9:39 a.m.
The data does not indicate who exactly altered the image, although Middleton issued an apology for the confusion surrounding "editing" the family photo.
"We don't have anything to add," the palace confirmed to Fox News Digital when asked for comments about the digitally altered photo.
KATE MIDDLETON SEEN WITH PRINCE WILLIAM BEFORE HE JOINED QUEEN CAMILLA AT COMMONWEALTH DAY EVENT
Middleton had previously shared her love of photography in 2020 while launching the Hold Still campaign, a joint project with the National Portrait Gallery.
She told "This Morning" that she was an "amateur photographer" who was "learning along the way."
"One of the fantastic things about photography is really capturing that moment so it is not staged setting, it is not setting it out perfectly, it's not clearing your house away so you've got a perfect studio set-up, but it's really capturing those moments that feel real to you and that capture the moment or an expression or a feeling I suppose," Middleton said.
"That's the power of photography – it can capture a moment and tell a story."
According to the metadata, Middleton’s photo was taken with a EF50mm lens, which is attached to a Canon SLR-style camera, the New York Post reported.
On Sunday, the Princess of Wales shared a photo with her three children – Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte – to celebrate Mother's Day in the United Kingdom on the royal social media accounts.
PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON'S FAMILY CALLED OUT FOR ALLEGED PHOTOSHOP FAIL IN HOLIDAY PHOTO
"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," she wrote online. "Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C"
After the photo was released, eagle-eyed followers soon noticed the image appeared to be distorted. The Associated Press and other news agencies began pulling the image from their websites over concerns that it was "manipulated."
The Princess of Wales apologized one day later and admitted that the image shared online had been edited.
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Middleton took to social media to issue a statement, writing, "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."
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Middleton has remained out of the public eye since Dec. 25. She was admitted into the hospital for a planned abdominal surgery on Jan. 17, and has only been spotted once since her hospitalization.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Kensington Palace, which handles the household for the Prince and Princess of Wales, told Fox News Digital: "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. The guidance in January stands that the Princess would be recuperating at home in Windsor."
The spokesperson reiterated the princess is "doing well."
The statement came amid a flurry of conspiracy theories that emerged on sites like X, formerly known as Twitter, and TikTok, with users speculating about the royal's whereabouts and health condition. The hashtag #WhereisKate previously went viral on the social media platforms.
As Kate recovers, Prince William continued royal duties with Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family at the 75th annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
King Charles was absent from the event, but addressed his cancer diagnosis in a recorded video message, saying, "In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth."
