Princess Kate’s Mother’s Day photo has been withdrawn by international picture agencies over concerns that the image had been manipulated.

The picture, which was shared with the media on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram account on Sunday, is the first of the princess to be released after her abdominal surgery.

Kensington Palace is now facing questions about whether the image has been digitally altered, but has not yet released a statement responding to the concerns.

In the picture, Kate is sitting in a chair with her arms around her daughter Princess Charlotte, eight, and youngest son Prince Louis, five, who are on either side of her, while Prince George, ten, is standing behind his mother, hugging her neck.

The mum-of-three captioned the post: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Speculation about edits being made to the photograph began after royal fans claimed that the sleeve of Princess Charlotte’s cardigan did not line up, and also raised concerns about other areas of the picture being doctored.

A spokesperson for the PA news agency said it had not killed the picture on its service, but was seeking urgent clarification from Kensington Palace about the concerns raised about manipulation.

Shutterstock is the latest to remove the image and advised clients to remove it from all their platforms.

Royal commentator Peter Hunt said: “This is damaging for the royals. They knew there would be intense interest in any picture they released of Kate.

“Their challenge is that people will now question whether they can be trusted and believed when they next issue a health update.”

This isn’t the first time the royals have been questioned over edited images. In April last year, William and Kate shared a photo of the late Queen taken at Balmoral which showed the former monarch surrounded by some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, including George, Charlotte and Louis. Some fans claimed that the image had been photoshopped and pointed out “inaccuracies”, such as a smudge on Louis’ shirt.

Kate’s Mother’s Day photo is the first to be released since she was admitted to the London Clinic for a planned operation on January 16. Two weeks later, the 42-year-old returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, where she has been recuperating.