Speculation of photo doctoring comes after Kate Middleton seemingly manipulated a recent Mother's Day portrait.
After the rumor mill ran wild over Kate Middleton's seemingly "manipulated" Mother's Day portrait with her three children, online sleuths have caused a stir over another photo featuring the 42-year-old Princess of Wales.
On Monday, Kate and her husband, Prince William, were spotted out in a car together in Windsor, England. It was Kate's second outing in public since her planned abdominal surgery, during which a royal source told ET that the Princess of Wales was on her way to a private appointment.
Kate was seen for the first time since her January hospitalization earlier this month. In a photo taken a week ago, she was shown wearing sunglasses while riding in a black SUV driven by her mother, Carole Middleton. An eyewitness told ET at the time that Kate and her mother were spotted in their vehicle around 9 a.m. just outside London. "The princess was low-key, looking out the window as her mother paid attention to the road," the eyewitness said.
Unlike that occasion, the photo of Kate and William sparked speculation of another photo manipulation when online sleuths noted the difference in the color of the brick wall behind the car.
However, the photo agency that took the picture of William and Kate in their car tells ET that while the "image has been cropped and lightened, nothing has been doctored."
Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding Kate's seemingly manipulated Mother's Day portrait isn't getting any clearer.
ET has learned that Kensington Palace has no plans to reissue the original unedited portrait of the Princess of Wales and her three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, that was released on Sunday for British Mother's Day.
The palace originally claimed that the image was taken by William in Windsor, England, last week, but after multiple news outlets, including the Associated Press, pulled the image claiming it was "manipulated," Kate released a statement on social media admitting the image was edited.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," Kate wrote in a message on Monday. "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. C."
Kate is known for taking a lot of the family's official portraits, but the confusion over the image amplified the growing rumors surrounding her whereabouts.
Speculation surrounding her health has been swirling in recent months after the mother of three went in for a "planned abdominal surgery" in January. The palace did not disclose exactly what the surgery entailed, but noted that the princess would not be returning to royal duties until after the Easter holiday.
Amid the speculation, William's spokesperson addressed conspiracy theories in a statement to People. "His focus is on his work and not on social media," the spokesperson told the outlet.
However, after speculation continued to circulate, the palace released a statement reiterating their comments about her condition.
"We gave guidance two days ago that the Princess of Wales continues to be doing well," the statement read. "As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we shall not be providing a running commentary or providing daily updates."
Additionally, William's father, King Charles III, is dealing with health struggles of his own after being diagnosed with cancer.
Last week was the first time that all four senior royals took a break, as King Charles III's duties were scaled back for cancer treatment and Queen Camilla cleared her calendar of royal duties after taking on extra responsibilities following her husband's health battle.
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