Britain’s Kensington Palace published photo of Prince Louis to mark his 6th birthday

Kensington Palace released a photograph of Prince Louis to celebrate his 6th birthday, the first image of the British royal family to be distributed since news organisations withdrew a photo edited by Kate Middleton due to suspicions of ‘digital manipulation’, The Associated Press reports

The palace stated that the photo published on April 23rd was taken by the princess in the last few days. The British media reported that the image, which showed the smiling prince in a plaid shirt, had not been edited. Louis, born on April 23rd, 2018, is the youngest child of Kate Middleton and Prince William, the heir to the throne.

“The photo of Kate and her children was intended to calm speculation about the princess' health after she retreated from public duties following abdominal surgery. However, it had the opposite effect, with the online rumour mill going into overdrive after news organisations decided to retract it. Kate later announced that she was being treated for cancer,” the publication reads.

This is the first photo released by the palace since March, when Kate apologised for the ‘confusion’ caused by her editing of a family photo.