Inside the mystery of Princess Kate's royal return following MoD confusion

06 March 2024 , 10:47

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The Princess was seen for the first time since January this week (Image: AP)

Kensington Palace has remained tight-lipped about Princess Kate's recovery. But a spokesperson was forced to address speculation about her return to work this week after an apparent slip-up by the Ministry of Defence.

The Army seemingly confirmed Kate would carry out her first major engagement since her abdominal surgery in January at the Trooping the Colour parade in London on June 8.

The MoD put out information about the King's annual official birthday parade, which this year will be held on Saturday, June 15, with rehearsals on June 1 and June 8.

In it, they advertised that the Princess of Wales will review the troops on June 8 - and invited people to book tickets.

The original post shared by the MOD (x)

The announcement caused confusion not least because there had been no official confirmation from Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace.

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And further adding to the mystery, the announcement on the official website was abruptly removed - and later replaced, with no mention made of Kate.

It's understood that Kensington Palace was not consulted before the announcement would be made - and only the Palace can confirm the Princess' attendance at a royal event.

All mention of the Princess has now been removed (x)

In their original announcement about her surgery, which took place on January 17, Kensington Palace said that Kate would not resume her public duties until after Easter.

To date, there has been no revision of this timeframe. And in a rare statement last week, it was reiterated: "We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant."

But Kate's long absence from the public eye has led to much speculation, particularly on social media.

William has also been very 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".

This week, the Princess was photographed for the first time since her surgery in images published in the States, although not in the British media.

US gossip site TMZ obtained images of the Kate being driven in a 4X4 Audi close to Windsor Castle at around 9am. It is believed that her mother Carole Middleton was driving the car and that the pair were taking the royal's children to school.

The last time Kate was seen in public was on Christmas Day when she joined the rest of the royals on their annual visit to Sandringham church.

Gemma Strong