Four international picture agencies have decided to stop distributing an image of Kate Middleton and her three children amid concerns the snap has been digitally manipulated.

On Sunday, which marked Mother's Day in the UK, Kensington Palace released an all-new image of the Princess of Wales alongside Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

However, within moments of it landing online, social media was flooded with conspiracy theories and claims that certain parts of the photo were amiss.

The furore surrounding the new photo comes just days after the Palace faced intense speculation about Kate's whereabouts after she underwent abdominal surgery last month.

Now, foreign picture agencies including Reuters, AP, Getty and AFP have withdrawn the picture.

Its authenticity isn't in doubt given it was released bu Kensington Palace but the agencies have said it may have been manipulated from an original.

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