Kate Middleton’s 'first picture since hospitalisation' accused of being 'manipulated' by multiple international picture agencies

Kate Middleton’s 'first picture since hospitalisation' has been accused of having been 'manipulated', as multiple international picture agencies are refusing to distribute it.

The Princess of Wales has been absent from Royal duties and the public for months.

But on Sunday morning, Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate surrounded by her and Prince William's three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The image was posted on the couple's X (Twitter) account, as the pair thanked everyone for their ‘continued support’.

Kate wrote: "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

"Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C."

However, ITV's Royal editor Chris Ship has since shared that 'at least 3 International pictures agencies refuse to distribute this morning’s photo of Kate and her children'.

Associated Press has reported that 'the source [the palace] has manipulated the image'.

Ship tweeted: "Mandatory 'Kill Notice' from @AFP - a huge international picture agency which says there is an 'editorial issue' with Kensington Palace’s photo and has told clients to remove it (I suspect more people will see it as a result)."

X users have also took it upon themselves to study the image.

One person said: “If I was a conspiracy minded Kate Middleton twitter investigator, which I'm not btw, I would start here.”

Many were confused by Louis’ supposed missing finger in the image.

Another felt the same way about his hand and listed off some other things that struck out as 'odd': “The little one on the left, everything is pretty sharp, detailed about him and his little crossed fingers.

"The only thing blurry on his sweater is that hand..”

Someone else also shared 'two odd things' they supposedly noticed about the photo, namely Princess Charlotte's cardigan and Prince Louis' finger.

A third also said that Middleton's ring appeared to be 'missing'.

While another claimed that it was a 'photoshop picture'.

It seems as if the conspiracy theories aren't over just yet.

Regarding the 'madness of social media', the Princess' representatives issued a statement which said that her surgery had been successful and that she'd be expected to be in the hospital for up to two weeks before recovering at home.

They also said that they would only provide further updates 'when there is significant new information to share'.

LADbible has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.