The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton has taken responsibility and apologised for releasing an edited ‘official’ photograph, which later caused several International news agencies to retract the image due to its manipulation.

In a brief statement posted to her official social media on Monday, the Princess offered an apology and explanation for the edit.

The post comes less than 24 hours after new agencies such as Reuters and the Associated Press (AP) issued a “kill” notification on the image hours following its release after it was deemed to have inconsistencies of an original.

In their report, AP said, “close study of the image revealed inconsistencies that suggested it had been altered, for instance, in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand with the sleeve of her sweater.“

The Agence France-Presse(AFP) deemed the retraction an “editorial issue.” Reuters said it had withdrawn the photograph following a “post-publication review.”

The picture showing a healthy-looking Princess Kate being flanked by her three children is the first since her “Planned Abdominal Surgery” in January and comes as concerns reportedly grow over her prolonged absence from the public.