Kate Middleton has shared a sweet new photo she took of Princess Charlotte, weeks after she was accused of photoshopping a photo of her and her children.
On Thursday, the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a snap of their only daughter to mark her ninth birthday.
They captioned the post: “Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte! 🎂 Thank you for all of the kind messages today. 📸 The Princess of Wales.”
Charlotte appears to be wearing the same cardigan she wore in the family photo Kate shared on Mother’s Day in March – which sparked uproar.
Days before the 42-year-old shared her secret battle with cancer, Kate posted a sweet snap of herself and Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, on March 10th.
However, things took a dramatic turn when several of the world’s biggest international photo agencies said the photograph issued of Kate and her three children had been “manipulated”.
The Associated Press (AP) Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Getty Images all separately issued a “kill notice” to media organisations around the globe, confirming they had each deleted the image from their individual libraries.
Kate later issued an apology in a statement shared on social media.
She wrote: “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.
“I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
At the time, rumours were rife about the Princess’ whereabouts, as she had remained out of the spotlight since undergoing abdominal surgery on January 16.
Days after the photoshop scandal, the mother-of-three bravely announced that she had been secretly battling cancer, which was discovered during her surgery in January.
On March 22nd, Kate explained why she had waited so long to share her diagnosis.
The 42-year-old said: “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.”
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time.”
“It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.”
“As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too.”
“As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.”
“We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.”
There is no date as to when the Princess will return to public engagements.
