However, insiders have warned that the wild conspiracy theories circulating online are having a negative effect on the future Queen and have urged the public to “leave her in peace”.

“It’s an awful lot to be under all of this public scrutiny when you are recovering from major surgery,” one source told American celebrity news site Page Six. “The rumor mill — particularly on social media — has gotten out of control, but Kate is recovering well and she will be back by Easter. She just needs to be left in peace.”

Another insider raised concerns over the princess’s mental wellbeing.

They said: “I worry about all this attention on Catherine. She did not look happy at all in the car on Monday.”

Meanwhile, despite growing pressure for the original photograph to be published, Kensington Palace has said it would not be reissuing the original image.

The latest reports suggested the picture was edited twice in Photoshop on Friday and Saturday on an Apple Mac computer before it was released on Sunday, according to BBC Verify. It is not known if these versions were saved on the same device.

The first version was saved on 8 March at 21:54 GMT, and the second was saved on 9 March at 09:39.

Sky News data and forensics team’s analysis found that the photo was shot at Adelaide Cottage with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with a Canon 50mm lens.

It has not been confirmed when the photo was taken but the Palace said it was taken earlier last week by Prince William.