Kate Middleton photo pulled by news agencies over manipulation concerns

A new photo of Kate, the Princess of Wales, which has been axed by the Associated Press over “manipulation” concerns, has only added fuel to conspiracy theories about the royal family. Other photo agencies, including Reuters and AFP, also pulled the photo.

On Sunday, Kate Middleton uploaded a picture to social media of herself and her three children in honour of Mother’s Day in the U.K. The photo, which sees Kate sit on a wooden chair with her arms around Prince Louis, 5, and Princess Charlotte, 8, with Prince George, 10, behind, is the first official image of the 42-year-old Princess since she underwent abdominal surgery nearly two months ago.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” Kate wrote, accompanying the photo credited to her husband, William, the Prince of Wales. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

Hours after the photo was released to great fanfare, the Associated Press issued a “kill notification” for the image, meaning the picture should not be used. The news agency barred the photo over concerns that “it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”

The photo appears to show an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand. Many self-proclaimed internet sleuths pointed out nearly a dozen other “inconsistencies,” though none have been verified by any photo experts as of this writing.

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

The Princess does not appear to be wearing her wedding ring in the picture, only worsening speculation from eagle-eyed skeptics on social media.

The Palace has not provided any official comment or response to the agencies’ removal of the photo.

Since the Palace first announced Kate would be