A photograph that intended to quash the conspiracy theories surrounding the Princess of Wales' health has only added fuel to the fire.
Kensington Palace released the image of the Princess of Wales and her children on Mothering Sunday in an attempt to reassure the public that Catherine was recovering well.
However, parts of the image appear to have been digitally altered and four major international picture agencies have pulled it from their systems over 'manipulation' concerns.
The Press Association, the main news agency in the United Kingdom, which is in regular contact with the Royal Household, has also withdrawn the photograph this morning.
Kensington Palace released the image of the Princess of Wales and her children on Mothering Sunday
KensingtonRoyal/X
A spokesperson for PA said: "We became aware of concerns about the image and we carried a report about it last night and made clear that we were seeking urgent clarification about the image from Kensington Palace. In the absence of that clarification, we are killing the image from our picture service."
This is a public relations nightmare for Kensington Palace, who have been trying to dampen down the sinister rumours circulating on the internet.
Instead, further conspiracies have erupted on the internet and major outlets around the world, including the BBC and ABC News in the US are questioning the authenticity of the image.
Prince William himself is at the heart of this, who we are told took the image in the privacy of his own home in Windsor.
Prince William himself is at the heart of this, who we are told took the image in the privacy of his own home in Windsor.
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In the last hour, the Princess of Wales has personally apologised for the confusion surrounding the image.
Her Royal Highness said: "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"
It is understood the Princess made "minor adjustments" to the photograph and William and Catherine were keen to offer an informal family photograph to celebrate Mother's Day.
A royal source has told me the Wales family spent Mother's Day together and had a "wonderful day".
It appears there is a perfectly innocent explanation for the errors; many families digitally enhance images of themselves, and the royals are no exception.
But Kensington Palace would have been very aware that any official image of the Princess was going to be heavily scrutinised, and it is hard to miss a couple of the digital alterations - the most obvious one being Princess Charlotte's left cuff.
Did anyone at Kensington Palace thoroughly check the image before it was published?
The fact is, we simply don't know.
Kensington Palace would have been very aware that any official image of the Princess was going to be heavily scrutinised.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales understandably insist on privacy while Catherine recovers, but the lack of an independent news photographer present has called into question whether it is appropriate for the Palace to have total control over the content they publish.
The scandal has also completely overshadowed the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth, which will be celebrated later today in a service at Westminster Abbey.
Mistakes happen, but perhaps the Prince and Princess of Wales will now consider allowing trusted, but independent, photographers into their guarded world.
