The Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly “shaken and devastated” by the speculation about their marriage circulating, and plan to address Catherine’s health issues on Prince Louis’ birthday next month.
Catherine has been mostly out of sight since she underwent an abdominal procedure on January 16, the details of which have been kept under wraps aside from the Palace's clarification that her condition was non-cancerous.
They said at the time she would not return to public duties until after Easter.
Last week, to mark Mother’s Day in the UK, the couple’s official Instagram account posted a photo of Kate and her three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
But four of the world's biggest news photo agencies issued a “kill notice” hours after picking it up, warning media outlets to not use the first official photo of the Princess of Wales because it "appears that the source has manipulated the image".
The Princess of Wales issued a public apology on Monday over the "confusion" her editing skills have caused, admitting she altered the image to some degree but failing to exaggerate on what exactly was edited.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the royal said, singing off the message with “C“, suggested it came directly from her.
The fallout led to a slew of conspiracy theories, ranging from the idea that Kate was superimposed from her British Vogue cover more than 10 years ago, to the fact the leaves on the trees in the background suggest the photo was taken last autumn.
In the image Kate did not appear to be wearing her wedding ring, causing a tide of chatter about the couple’s relationship.
However, the Daily Mail said on Sunday that it’s expected they will uphold the tradition of releasing a new photograph to celebrate their children’s birthdays - next up being Prince Louis turning six on April 23.
