A photo of Kate Middleton and her children was published Sunday. It was thought to be a kind of proof of life photo to counter the wild conspiracy theories since her surgery. 

Sunday was Mother's Day in the U.K. It's a nice photo of Kate sitting surrounded by her three children. Kate has not been seen since she underwent abdominal surgery which still has not been explained. We know the surgery was serious enough to keep her hospitalized for 10 days. Kensington Palace announced she would be taking a break from her royal duties until after Easter to fully recover from the surgery.

Kate broke her silence on social media Sunday and thanked everyone for the prayers and well wishes. She also posted a photo of herself and her children on Instagram as she wished other mothers a Happy Mother's Day.  

Innocent enough, right?

Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C

📸 The Prince of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/6DywGBpLLQ

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 10, 2024

Conspiracy theories have lived a life of their own since Kate has been absent from the public eye for two months. This photo has succumbed to its own conspiracy theory - it's been doctored, they say. And by 'they' I mean the big news outlets like AP and Reuters. They ask their clients to delete the photo. AP issued a statement.

"The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace," AP said in a statement to NBC News March 10. "The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP's photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand."

In pictures: Kate, the Princess of Wales, through the years. We are deleting a post containing an image of the Princess of Wales following a post-publication review https://t.co/KNsVFdQVmG pic.twitter.com/gpX98ThhH6

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 10, 2024

I’ve never been much of a conspiracy theorist but if @AP @AFP @Reuters & other picture agencies are concerned enough to remove it and ask clients to delete it, there are serious questions for Kensington Palace - which was the source of the photo.
These appears to be the issues 👇 https://t.co/ifcSB9mUzu pic.twitter.com/bH5gN9fJtJ

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 10, 2024

The photo is said to have been taken by Prince William. Has it been doctored? 

Royal commentators initially said the image would combat weeks of fevered speculation about Middleton’s health after she disappeared from public life following abdominal surgery in January.

But the image has further fueled conspiracies after eagle-eyed social media users spotted defects in the photo that suggested it had been altered.

Chris Ship, ITV News’ royal editor, said there were “serious questions” for Kensington Palace after it appeared that elements of the image, including Princess Charlotte’s sleeve, were doctored.

It looks like the controversy made the front pages in the U.K. Monday morning.

I suspect this was not the headline Kensington Palace was hoping to get from the normally supportive @Telegraph on Monday morning:
“Photo from Palace was doctored, say agencies”. pic.twitter.com/W7JxIgdlQA

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 10, 2024

Kate has only been seen briefly through a car window.

Kate was first publicly spotted in a paparazzi photo on March 4 in a car with her mother, Carole, near Windsor Castle. Her maternal uncle, Gary Goldsmith, who appeared on reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother from March 4 to March 8, spoke about his niece, saying she was “getting the best care in the world.”

It's all very bizarre. She's out of the spotlight so crazy things are being said about her absence. I wish her a speedy recovery and hope her illness isn't anything that can't be successfully cured. 

UPDATE: Here is a tweet posted by Prince William. He's taking responsibility.for the confusion.

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. C

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024