London — Catherine, The Princess of Wales, issued an apology on social media Monday for editing a photo of her family that was released to mark Mother's Day in the U.K. The photo, released by Kensington Palace on Sunday, has been taken down by a handful of major global news photo agencies over manipulations of the image.

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," Kate said in a message shared on a Kensington Palace social media account 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"

The photograph in question, which shows Kate sitting with her three children, was the first image released of the princess since she underwent abdominal surgery about two months ago. Credit for the photo was given to Kate's husband William, The Prince of Wales.

A Kensington Palace source said Monday that Kate, William, 10-year-old George, 8-year-old Charlotte and 5-year-old Louis had spent Mother's Day together and wanted to share an informal photo. The picture was taken by William, the source said, but Kate had made minor adjustments to it. The source said the family had a wonderful day.

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• British Royal Family
• Catherine Princess of Wales