Police investigate photo of Lily Allen in handcuffs

This photo of Lily Allen in handcuffs has been removed from Instagram.

Australian police have launched an internal investigation after singer Lily Allen posted a photograph of herself being handcuffed after she stepped off a flight in an apparent prank gone wrong.

Allen, who has been touring Australia, landed at Gold Coast Airport in Queensland ahead of her appearance at the Splendour In The Grass festival on Sunday, where she was greeted by a handful of fans and a number of Federal Police officers.

Breaking strict protocol, the officers agreed to Allen's request to be put in handcuffs as she knelt down - and an aide took a photograph and posted it on her Twitter account which has more than 4.7 million followers.

#uhoh http://t.co/uEKaHrX0iS

The image has since been removed.

An AFP spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Allen was being escorted by the officers through the terminal when the photo was taken.

"At her request members involved placed open handcuffs for a photo opportunity," the spokesman said.

"It appears the members involved were caught in the moment and standard protocol were breached.

"It is subject to internal processes."

The 29-year-old gained more than 7700 likes for the image on Instagram before it was taken down.

The British pop star landed on Australian shores on Tuesday ahead of her Splendour In The Grass performance on Sunday.

She also performed at sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney. On Saturday night, she performed at an intimate gig at The Standard Bowl, Surry Hills - Sydney's inner city.

Allen was one of the highly anticipated headlining acts at the Splendour In The Grass music festival in Byron Bay, northern NSW.

She has 10 gigs scheduled for her two weeks down under.

The vocalist's last visit to Australia was in 2009 when she toured with the Big Day Out festival.

- Daily Mail