The trip to the shops and sports grounds marks the first time Kate has been seen since her surgery. The move could be a precursor to her return to the public eye, following two months of speculation about her whereabouts.
The Princess of Wales was seen last week looking out the window of a car with Prince William as they left Windsor for a whirlwind trip to London. Before that, she was seen doing a school run with her mother, Carole Middleton.
The past week has been a turbulent time for the Wales’, who were caught misstepping after the mother-of-three released a photo with her children on Mother’s Day in the UK.
Soon after it was uploaded to the family’s socials, alterations were found to have been made to the photo, leading major news agencies such as Reuters, Getty, and Associated Press to effectively “kill” the use of the photo.
“At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the Associated Press said in its kill notice. The scandal (and the subsequent lack of communication from the royal’s PR team) led public interest in Kate’s whereabouts to explode into a narrative driven by conspiracy theories and guessing games.
Kate later apologised for the photo, taking responsibility for the edits and claiming they were done on her own.
Nevertheless, the relative obscurity of Kate Middleton since the year began has fuelled rumours and driven concerns about the state of her health. Many believe the amount of time spent away from official duties is a sign Kensington Palace has not been upfront about her condition.
The princess is not expected to return to official duties until at least Easter. However, royal commentators and royal fans alike are hoping to see her return to the public eye sooner rather than later, with some expecting her to appear with the rest of the royals as they embark on their traditional walk to church on Easter Sunday.
According to the Daily Telegraph, a palace insider told them there had been “no confirmation either way” regarding whether Kate would attend the Easter Sunday service.
Meanwhile, during St Patrick’s Day celebrations on Sunday, Kate was replaced by Lady Ghika, who filled in her role as honorary colonel of the Irish Guards. Lady Ghika is the wife of the Irish Guard’s Major General Sir Chris Ghika.
On their social media accounts, the royal couple posted a video of the guards preparing for the day ahead to mark their respect.
In the video, the Irish Guard members give three cheers to Kate as an honorary colonel in her absence.
