Even a royal can accidentally take an awkward photo. Princess Kate Middleton acknowledged in a new public statement that she tried “editing” her recent Mother’s Day family photo. She shared that she was previously on Instagram earlier this weekend. The original post was a snapshot of Kate, 42, with her and Prince William‘s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

‘Looks like AI’

Kate Middleton’s poised reappearance on social media following a reported abdominal surgery in January has left royal watchers to speculate whether the newly released image of the post-op Princess is really real, with some referring to the timely post as “damage control.”

The Princess of Wales, 42, posed with her three children in a Mother’s Day portrait that was reportedly snapped by her husband Prince William, 41, publishing the photo across royal social media accounts on Sunday with a message for the holiday.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a happy Mother’s Day,” she wrote, signing off as ‘C’ for Catherine.

Fans online were agog to see Ms. C again. With no wedding ring and Princess Charlotte’s weird hand, theories swirled during her absence from the public eye.

“The same people who bashed Megan Markle for breathing in the air are the same people saying ‘who cares’ after their Kate Middleton posted an AI-generated picture in an official photo release to the public,” one X user tweeted on Sunday, March 10, adding, “There was no need to deceive the public. She didn’t have to post anything.”

Experiment with editing

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate wrote via X and her Instagram Stories. “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.”

A few hours prior, several obvious errors and an apparent misalignment with Princess Charlot caused social media users to question the veracity of the endearing family portrait. Some even conjectured that the picture was created by AI.

Despite the online drama, a source told the outlet that Kate’s photo flub truly consisted of “minor adjustments” to the “amateur family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales.”The royal pair’s only intention was “to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day. The family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.”