In light of the news that Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been diagnosed with cancer, actress Blake Lively publicly apologized for joining in on the widespread commentary about a Photoshopped image shared by the royal family for British Mother’s Day.

The photo, which Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, posted to their joint social media accounts on March 10, was later removed by multiple photo agencies after questions about how significantly it had been edited were raised. Middleton apologized for any confusion the  image had caused the next day, saying via a statement that, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” 

The photo controversy fell nearly two months after Middleton left public view for a planned surgery and recovery. After William abruptly canceled his appearance at the memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, a tide of speculation that Middleton’s recovery was not going as planned began to rise. 

The commentary crested as questions over the family photo made headlines around the globe, prompting jokes from folks like entrepreneur/personality Kim Kardashian (who wrote on Instagram that she was on her “way to go find Kate”) and talk show host Stephen Colbert (who joked about Middleton’s “disappearance” in a recent monologue). Lively joined the conversation, posting a photo of her head that was edited  onto another woman’s body with the caption, “I’m so excited to share this new photo I just took today … Now you know why I’ve been MIA.”

The image, which was intended to promote Lively’s beverage lines, was seemingly assembled from other photos, including a large thumb, chunks of hair, and a can of one of Lively’s drinks. 

Though Lively didn’t name the princess, her intent in last week’s post seemed clear. But with Middleton’s somber yet hopeful announcement that she had been diagnosed with cancer, all that banter hits differently. Lively seemed acutely aware of that shift, posting an Instagram story on Friday that began, “I’m sure no one cares today, but I feel like I have to acknowledge this.”

“I made a silly post around the ‘photoshop fails’ frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today. I’m sorry.” Lively wrote. (The post in question, which was published on March 15, has since been deleted, it appears.)

 “Sending love and well wishes to all, always,” Lively concluded. As with her previous post, Lively did not directly name Middleton or other royal family members.

Lively is married to actor Ryan Reynolds, who, with actor Rob McElhenney, has been co-owner of the Wrexham Association Football Club in Wrexham, Wales, since 2020. Earlier this month, Prince William visited with the team and took a trip to the pub with McElhenney, where he did a shot of whiskey and pulled a pint for the pub’s owner. Reynolds has also rubbed shoulders with the royals, as King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla met with the actors in 2022 for a tour of the stadium.