WASHINGTON (TND) — A photo of Kate, the Princess of Wales, widely shared by news agencies Sunday was pulled from circulation and publishment was revoked after wire outlets expressed concern the photo could have been generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence.

Specifically, organizations like The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse said in their "kill" announcements that they had concerns that the photo, provided to them by Kensington Palace -- and also posted to the official Instagram page for the Prince and Princess of Wales -- showed signs of such manipulation.

At "closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image," the Associated Press said in its request for subscribing organizations to pull the story. "No replacement photo will be sent.

A spokesperson for the AP briefly elaborated in a follow-up statement to The Telegraph, saying, "The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand."

Olivier Knox, a former reporter for the AFP and former president of the White House Correspondents Association, noted in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that such an order from his one-time employer was "a very big deal."

According to reporters in the U.K., Kensington Palace has not offered a retraction, defense or any sort of comment on the image as of Sunday night EDT.

The photo was released earlier Sunday after weeks of the rumor mill churning as to the princess's whereabouts. The presumed next-queen consort has not been seen in public for months. While the palace announced in January she was recovering at home following a planned abdominal surgery, royals watchers and fans have been filling social media with conspiracy theories and speculation about her condition.