Timeline of Kate Middleton's Mother's Day photo fiasco as the Princess of Wales ... trends now
William took Kate's Mother's Day photograph in just a 40-minute window on Friday before the Princess edited it twice in Photoshop to 'make it the best it can be', it emerged today.
Following an extraordinary chain of events that has shocked fans of the royals, MailOnline takes a look at the full incident, exploring how the fiasco unfolded.
Read on below for a full timeline of Kate's Mother's Day photo fiasco.
Kate releases first official photo since surgery
To mark Mother's Day, Kensington Palace posted a photo of the Princess of Wales with her three children on their official social media platforms on Sunday March 10.
A message, which appeared to be written by Kate herself, said: 'Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C'.
To mark Mother's Day, Kensington Palace posted a photo of the Princess of Wales with her three children on their official social media platforms on Sunday March 10
It was the first official photo of Kate since she had undergone abdominal surgery earlier this year.
She was last pictured in public during a Christmas Day walk in Sandringham, Norfolk.
Concerns emerge over digital manipulation of Kate's picture
Concerns were raised over possible digital manipulation of the photograph.
From Prince Louis' hands to clothing patterns and lines not matching up, eagle-eyed members of the public pointed out a litany of what they believed to be suspicious issues with the photo.
The most common 'editing errors' found by social media sleuths were Kate's absent wedding ring, Charlotte's blurred skirt and her partially missing sleeve and Kate's misaligned zip.
In the image, one of Louis' fingers looks shorter than the others as he appears to be crossing his fingers in an odd gesture. Social media sleuths also said that his trousers look digitally altered.
Further aspects pointed out by social media users include the length of Prince George's forearms, the paving and window panes behind the family as well as the late-autumn leaves on the trees not matching up with the claim the photo is recent.
Leading picture agencies 'kill' photograph
Within hours of the photo being shared around the world, multiple picture agencies issued a 'kill notification' - an industry term used to retract a photo previously handed out to publications
Within hours of the photo being shared around the world, multiple picture agencies issued a 'kill notification' - an industry term used to retract a photo previously handed out to publications.
On Sunday night, the Associated Press (AP) became the first agency to 'kill' the photo over an 'inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand'.
While AP said there was no suggestion the photo was fake, it retracted it because it said on closer inspection, the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet the agency's photo standards.
AP said its editorial standards state that images must be accurate and that it does not use altered or digitally manipulated images.
The agency's news values and principles explain that minor photo editing, including cropping and toning and colour adjustments, are acceptable when necessary for clear and accurate
