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Multiple major photo agencies, including Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, have pulled a new image of the Princess of Wales from circulation over concerns that it has been “manipulated”.

The Associated Press (AP) has told Sky News the photo shows an “inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand”.

The picture in question was released on Sunday morning to celebrate Mother’s Day and shows Kate surrounded by her and Prince William’s three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

AP said the photo shows an 'inconsistency' in the 'alignment' of Princess Charlotte's hand
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AP said the photo shows an ‘inconsistency’ in the ‘alignment’ of Princess Charlotte’s hand

The image was initially circulated by a number of picture agencies but on Sunday night at least three withdrew it and told media outlets to “kill” the photo from their systems and archives.

AP told Sky News in a statement: “The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards.

“The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”

The editing of photographs after they have been taken for professional purposes is a common practice, and there is no suggestion Kensington Palace was trying to do anything other than improve the photo if it has been altered.

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Kensington Palace had provided the photo to agencies and said it had been taken by the Prince of Wales earlier this week.

Kensington Palace has declined to comment after the photo was pulled by picture agencies.

A spokesperson for the Press Association 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.

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Prince William, right, speaks to Pierre-Yves Paslier as he looks at sustainable seaweed-based food containers at the Oval cricket ground made by the Earthshot 2022 winner Notpla in London, Friday, March 8, 2024. Pic: AP Photo/Kin Cheung
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Prince William at an engagement in London on Friday. Pic: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

In a message accompanying the photo on Instagram, Kate wrote: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

“Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s Instagram post featuring the image has not been taken down.

The Palace’s response makes this all the more bizarre

This is all really strange. We have some respected international news agencies deciding to kill this photo.

In other words, they are pulling it from their distribution websites because they believe it has been changed, altered, photoshopped – call it what you like.

We don’t know what manipulation of the photo means. Is it a filter? Are there tweaks? We just don’t know.

What we do know is Kensington Palace has declined to comment which makes it all the more bizarre.

The picture and message came amid speculation about Kate’s health following a brief hospital stay in January.

Kate was admitted for planned abdominal surgery on 16 January, exactly a week after her 42nd birthday.

The following day, the Palace said the operation was successful and Kate stayed in hospital until 29 January, when she was discharged home to Windsor.

At the time, Sky News understood that her recuperation would likely take between two and three months.

King Charles III, Kate, the Princess of Wales, from right, Prince Louis, and Prince George at the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. Pic: AP Photo/Kin Cheung
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Kate with Prince Louis and Prince George on Christmas Day 2023. Pic: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

Kate has not been seen in public since she joined other members of the Royal Family for a Christmas Day walk, though US celebrity news site TMZ published a photo of her on 4 March.

The photo was understood to have been taken by unauthorised paparazzi near Windsor Castle.

William has been attending events and engagements solo while Kate has been recuperating.

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 40-year-old woman was shot dead in South Wales.

The woman was found with serious injuries just after 6pm on Sunday and died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.

She was discovered in the Green Park area of Talbot Green, a town about 15 miles west of Cardiff.

A 42-year-old local man is in police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector James Morris said: “I understand the concern this will cause the local community, and I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events of last night.”

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South Wales Police said a number of crime scenes have been set up and road closures are in place.

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Drivers ‘confused’ by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

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Drivers 'confused' by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.

Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.

In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.

Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.

More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.

The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.

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What you can do to reach net zero

In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.

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Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.

Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.

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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.

Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.

There are more EVs – but will people buy them?

In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.

But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.

The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.

It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.

“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.

Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.

“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.

“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.

“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.

“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower

A man has been charged after climbing up the tower of Big Ben, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Daniel Day, 29, of Palmerston Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, faces charges of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.

Police were called to reports of a man climbing up Elizabeth Tower at 7.24am on Saturday.

The man was carrying a Palestinian flag and remained barefoot on a ledge for more than 16 hours before being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker just after midnight.

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Westminster Bridge was forced to close to traffic during the morning, as tourists in central London stood around watching the spectacle.

Police said specialist officers worked with the fire brigade “to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life”.

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