Immediately after the Instagram page dropped, some people online began to comment about the timing, noting it comes as Buckingham Palace faces scrutiny.
The manipulated photo pits the royal family against media organizations trying to hold the line on accuracy at a time of high skepticism and runaway conspiracy theories.
“It’s been pretty clear where they want to draw the line in terms of privacy, and they think what they said is enough,” a crisis PR expert said, “when it clearly isn’t.”
In a post on Kensington Palace's social media channels Monday after multiple photo agencies put out notices not to use the image, the Princess of Wales apologized "for any confusion" and said she had edited it.
In the photo, which the palace said was taken by Prince William, Kate is seen smiling while posing with their children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
The letter said security teams took evasive measures to avoid collision with pursuing paparazzi vehicles, contrary to claims from paparazzi agencies that there were no near collisions.