05 March 2024 , 12:36
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A surprise sighting of the Princess of Wales and her mother Carole Middleton marks the first time that Kate has been seen publicly since she underwent what Kensington Palace called a "planned abdominal surgery" in January. With no sighting of the Princess since Christmas Day the internet has been aflame with speculation about her whereabouts - despite the fact that Kensington Palace had been definitive since the surgery was announced that she would be off-duty until at least Eastertime.
The Ministry of Defence announced today that Kate will make an appearance at Trooping the Colour - the monarch's official birthday parade and one of the Royal Family's annual set piece events - but this has not yet been confirmed by Kensington Palace.
If the Princess attends, she will inspect 250 soldiers as part of her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards.
The palace previously announced that Kate had undergone a "successful" abdominal surgery on 17 January and that "based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."
They also said from the outset that due to Kate's desire to keep things normal for her children, and "her wish that her personal medical information remains private" that further updates would only be provided "when there is significant new information to share."
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On 29 January, they announced that she had been discharged from hospital and returned to her Windsor home to continue her recovery there - but speculation only grew online in the following weeks.
Eventually, after Prince William missed a memorial service for his godfather - the former King Constantine of Greece - citing an undisclosed "personal matter", speculation and theories grew to a fever pitch, forcing the palace to release a further statement, reinforcing that they had "made it clear in January the timelines of the princess' recovery and we'd only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands."
Sources close to William speaking to the Daily Beast called the speculation "toxic" and said, "If William has read any of this stuff, it will only make him more determined to stick to his guns and keep his wife out of the limelight while she recovers."
William has been pretty tight-lipped when it comes to discussing his wife as he goes about his duties, but in a sweet moment during a visit to Wrexham, North Wales, to mark St. David's Day, William accepted a bouquet of flowers which he promised to "pass on to Catherine".
The sighting of Carole and Kate marked the first time she had been spotted out in public during her recovery period, and the photographs were quickly splashed across social media and US outlets, and were captured "seemingly on a long lens" - per Newsweek.
It also coincided with her maternal uncle - Gary Goldsmith - making his television debut on ITV's reboot of Celebrity Big Brother, which is likely to cause more controversy for the Royal Family.
Kensington Palace has been contacted for comment.
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