Britain's Princess of Wales has apologized for editing a photograph of herself and her three children posted on social media.

The royal family on Sunday posted the photo. Princess Catherine, the wife of Prince William, has not appeared publicly since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.

Along with the photo, the post shows a message reading "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months."

The BBC and other media report that the photo was taken by her husband earlier this month, and it was published by some media, including the BBC.

But the Associated Press and several others say they have retracted the photo, saying the image may have been manipulated.

The Associated Press says, "The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand."

Princess Catherine posted a comment on Monday. It says: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused." The post does not refer to the reason for the editing.

The princess was discharged from the hospital in late January. But details of her condition have not been disclosed. Information on her health is drawing attention, as she is highly popular among the people.