“I can only confirm that when I raised the matter with Getty Images directly yesterday [Tuesday] evening, they subsequently removed the misleading note.”

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Getty Images told Allerton that the photograph had been “flagged in a recent handout review as needing review” but that the agency had confirmed it had not been manipulated and the note had been removed.

Allerton said: “It is unfortunate their review has resulted in so much unnecessary speculation over an image that was produced with the utmost integrity. I have no further comment to make on the matter.”

It comes after a furore surrounding a Mothering Sunday portrait of Catherine and her three children that was withdrawn from use earlier this month because of the extent to which it had been manipulated.

Several international news agencies took the rare step of issuing a “kill notice” because they could not guarantee its authenticity.

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Catherine admitted that, as an amateur photographer, she did “occasionally experiment with editing”.

A photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which was taken by the princess, was also deemed to have been “digitally enhanced at source”.

The image was taken at Balmoral in August 2022 and released by Buckingham Palace on April 21, 2023, to mark what would have been Elizabeth’s 97th birthday.

Close inspection of the image appears to show several inconsistencies, including a vertical line where the tartan of her skirt does not match.

A dark shadow is also visible behind Prince Louis’ ear and a similar small black patch can be seen behind Prince George’s shirt collar.

Getty Images is the only agency that still holds the portrait in its library. An agency spokesman said earlier this week it had “reviewed the image in question and placed an editor’s note on it stating the image has been digitally enhanced at source”.

Meanwhile, Reuters also identified eight places where the picture had been “clearly altered” by digital cloning. The news agency could not immediately establish why the alterations were made.

‌Digital cloning involves copying pixels to either move or mask objects or areas in a photo.

A Reuters spokesman said: “Reuters is updating its procedures related to vetting images from Kensington Palace after confirming a second altered photograph.

“Consistent with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles, Reuters requires that photos meet its editorial standards for image quality, accuracy and reliability.”

A Reuters picture editor later told the agency’s news podcast that it had spoken to the palace and both agreed that, in future, the palace would supply the original photograph alongside any that have been edited.

CNN, the American broadcaster, confirmed last week that it was also reviewing all photographs handed out by the palace.

Phil Chetwynd, global news director of Agence France-Presse, said last week the palace was no longer a “trusted source”.