Major news and photography agencies have removed a photograph of the Princess of Wales, released by Kensington Palace, after doubts arose the image had been “manipulated”.

A photo of Catherine with her children, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, was released on Prince William and Princess Kate’s official social media accounts on Sunday evening, AEDT.

The image was the first official photograph released following the princess’ abdominal surgery in January and was circulated by major news and photography agencies.

However, four of the largest agencies issued a “kill notice” on the image, asking those who were using the image to remove it.

AP reported that the reason for the image recall was because “it appears that the source [Kensington Palace] has 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,” AP stated.

Reuters, AFP and Getty Images also issued their own notices and removed the image from their sites.

The photo is still up on the Princess’ social media accounts.

First photo after surgery

The photo was the first photo of Princess Kate since she had abdominal surgery in January.

At the time the palace confirmed she was undergoing planned abdominal surgery and would spend two weeks in hospital before returning home to convalesce.

It announced she would temporarily withdraw from public duties until after Easter, which falls on March 31 this year.

No further detail about her condition was given, though the palace acknowledged, “the Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate”.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the social media post read.

“Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

The photograph was taken earlier this week in Windsor where the family live, her Kensington Palace office said.