Excitement reached a peak with the unveiling of the first official photograph of the Princess of Wales following her abdominal surgery.

Both professional photo analysts and amateur investigators are scrutinizing the official image released for Mother’s Day in the U.K., featuring Kate Middleton and her children.

At the age of 42, the Princess of Wales issued an apology, acknowledging occasional experimentation with editing, as multiple global photo agencies withdrew the Mothering Sunday picture due to suspicions of manipulation.

Upon closer inspection, the Daily Mail identified 16 issues with the portrait of Princess Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. These include blurring around hair and fingers, alignment problems, and skewed patterns, with opinions on the use of Photoshop varying among professional photographers.

The Mail reported various distortions in the image, including Princess Charlotte’s sleeve, the zipper on Kate’s top, and apparent edits to hair and clothing. Sky News delved into the image file’s metadata, claiming evidence of Photoshop use and detailing the saving process on an Apple Mac.

The photo was reportedly taken at Adelaide Cottage with a professional Canon 5D Mark IV camera. Sky News’ science and technology editor emphasized the reliability of modern cameras and the importance of metadata.

The portrait gained additional attention as the first official picture released following Princess Kate’s abdominal surgery on Jan. 16. The Princess of Wales had not been seen in public since Christmas, and Kensington Palace mentioned her unlikelihood to return to public duties until after Easter.

On Sunday, major photo agencies, including the Associated Press, Getty Images, and Reuters, removed the picture, citing concerns about manipulation. The AP issued a “kill notification,” stating manipulation after closer inspection and no replacement photo.

@people #KateMiddleton has apologized for editing a family photo, but what exactly was manipulated? #RoyalFamily #BritishRoyals ♬ Breaking News Background Music (Basic A)(1001538) – LEOPARD

Competing agencies, including Reuters and PA Media, also withdrew the photo from their archives, expressing concerns about image quality standards. The controversy surrounding the image, intended to dispel health rumors, has, according to crisis communications expert Mark Borkowski, ironically exacerbated the situation, raising questions about AI and Photoshop involvement.