The Princess of Wales has apologized for the “confusion” caused by her editing of a family photo released by the palace. In a post on social media, Kate said that she occasionally experiments with editing. She offered her apologies in the post. The Associated Press and other news agencies withdrew the photo of Kate and her children George, Charlotte and Louis. It was issued by Kensington Palace on Sunday to mark Mother’s Day in Britain. It appeared to have been manipulated, in violation of AP photo guidelines. The palace said the photo was taken by Prince William.Kate's apology comes after Britain's national news agency, PA, said Monday it is withdrawing a photo of the Princess of Wales issued by the royal palace, joining other major agencies in voicing concerns about manipulation of the image.Video above: Prince William’s spokesperson addresses Kate Middleton rumors It was the first official photo of Kate since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago, and followed weeks of speculation about her whereabouts. Designed to quell speculation, it has sparked even more conjecture. Kensington Palace earlier said the photo of Kate in a chair surrounded by her three children was taken earlier in the week in Windsor."Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," Kate said on social media. "Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."AP initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. While there was no suggestion the photo was fake, AP retracted it because closer inspection revealed the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP's photo standards. For instance, the photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand.The Kensington Palace media office is not open on weekends and a voicemail left for a spokesperson was not immediately returned.The release of the photo followed weeks of gossip on social media about what had happened to Kate since she left a hospital on Jan. 29 after a nearly two-week stay following planned surgery. She hadn't been seen publicly since Christmas Day.The royal family has been under more scrutiny than usual in recent weeks, because both Kate and King Charles III can't carry out their usual public duties due to health problems.Royal officials say Charles is undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer, which was discovered during treatment for an enlarged prostate. The monarch has canceled all his public engagements while he receives treatment, though he has been photographed walking to church and meeting privately with government officials and dignitaries.Kate, 42, underwent surgery on Jan. 16 and her condition and the reason for the surgery have not been revealed, though Kensington Palace, Prince William and Kate's office said it was not cancer-related.Although the palace initially said that it would only provide significant updates and that she would not return to royal duties before Easter — March 31 this year — it followed up with a statement last month amid the rumors and conspiracy theories by saying she was doing well and reiterating its previous statement."Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess' recovery and we'd only be providing significant updates," the palace said on Feb. 29. "That guidance stands."At the time, royal aides told The Sun newspaper: "We've seen the madness of social media and that is not going to change our strategy. There has been much on social media but the Princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that."Further questions were raised last week when the British military appeared to jump the gun in announcing Kate would attend a Trooping the Color ceremony in June, apparently without consulting palace officials.The appearance would have been her first major official duty since the surgery, but Kensington Palace didn't confirm any scheduled public events for Kate. It's up to palace officials, not government departments, to announce and confirm the royals' attendance at events.The army later removed the reference to her attendance.British media reported that the army did not seek approval from Kensington Palace before publishing details about Kate's appearance in June, and announced the event based on the expectation that Kate, in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards, would inspect the troops this year at the annual military ceremony.