Princess Kate Middleton was seen in a video for the first time since her abdominal surgery, visiting a farm shop near her home in Windsor with Prince William on March 16.
Kate, 42, smiled and laughed as she and William, 41, each carried bags through a parking lot. The princess wore black leggings, a matching hoodie and her hair long and flowing. The prince was equally casual in a blue jacket, jeans and a baseball cap in the video obtained by The Sun.
“After all the rumors that had been going round, I was stunned to see them there,” one person told the outlet
“Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well,” the eyewitness told the publication, adding, “The kids weren’t with them but it’s such a good sign she was healthy enough to pop down to the shops.”
The Princess of Wales’ last public appearance was on Christmas Day 2023 while going to church services at Sandringham.
Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that the royal underwent “planned abdominal surgery” and that she would remain hospitalized “for 10 to 14 days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
The statement continued, “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
Despite the palace stating that Kate would be privately recovering for several months, rumors have swirled about her absence from the public eye. Some people have speculated on X that the princess may have underwent plastic surgery.
Another theory was that Kate suffered complications from her January surgery and had been put in a medically induced coma.
“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands,” palace officials told ABC News on February 29, reiterating the original statement that Kate would be out of the public eye until after Easter.
The princess was photographed by paparazzi being driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, near Windsor on March 4.
In a U.K. Mother’s Day tribute on March 10, Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate surrounded by her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The photo was taken by William at the family’s home in Windsor and the caption read, “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”
Rather than squash rumors about her health, the photo generated a new round of conspiracy theories, as Kate wasn’t wearing her wedding or engagement ring from William.
Several photo agencies later released a kill notice for the image, advising outlets to take the photo down because “it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
Kate admitted to making some adjustments to the original photo in a March 11 post on X, writing, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
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