Kate Middleton Is Seen With Prince William After Apologizing Over 'Manipulated' Photo

Kate Middleton and Prince William were seen together for the first time since her controversial Mother's Day photo.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were photographed inside a car hours after Middleton apologized for the "manipulated" picture uploaded on their official X account to mark Mother's Day. In the snap obtained by the Daily Mail, the royal couple sat in the backseat of a car, with Prince William glancing down and Middleton looking out the window.

Although they were in the same car, the two royals were heading to different engagements. The Duchess of Cambridge was making her way to a "private appointment," according to People.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Cambridge joined the other members of the royal family for the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey in London. Middleton was not expected to attend the event as she was still recovering from her abdominal surgery in June and would not be back to her royal duties until after Easter.

The couple's sighting came just hours after Middleton issued an apology for her Mother's Day picture. The snap received a "kill notice" from the Associated Press and other major agencies, including Getty, Reuters and the AFP.

Following the controversy, Kensington Palace released another statement from Middleton. The future queen apologized for altering the family photo taken by her husband, Prince William.

"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," the post read.

Several agencies took down the image after examining it closely and discovering that it was "manipulated."

"At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image," the AP's advisory read. "No replacement photo will be sent."

Meanwhile, the controversial photo reignited the concern over Middleton's health. Several took to social media and oddly asked if she was still alive because they had not seen her since Christmas, and the photo in question was supposed to be her first official photograph after her abdominal surgery in January.

"I'm so deep down in the 'Where is Kate Middleton' rabbit hole. I'm beginning to wonder if she's even alive at this point. I had paid it no mind until they released the fake photo today. Now, 9 hours later.... what happened to Kate??" one asked.

"It's worse than that. Kate Middleton hasn't been seen since Dec 25. This is the first official photo of her -- to kill it so publicly suggests a deeply unethical quandary with publishing it. Is she even alive? People need to stop being polite and get real," another wrote online.