- The Welsh couple celebrated Mother's Day in the UK by sharing a new photo of Kate, Duchess of Wales, and their children.
- This is Kate's first official photo since her abdominal surgery in January.
- She disappeared from public view for more than two months, sparking conspiracy theories about her condition.
After months of absence from public life, sparking conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and health, Kensington Palace has released a new photo of the Duchess Kate to mark Mother's Day in the UK.
The photo shows the Princess of Wales smiling as she sits in a chair, surrounded by her three children. Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, appear on either side of her, while Prince George, 10, stands behind her with his arm around her.
According to the BBC, the photo was taken by Prince William in Windsor earlier this week.
This is Kate's first official photo since her abdominal surgery in January.
A photo uploaded to her social media account was accompanied by a message from the Duchess thanking the public for their support and wishing other families a Happy Mother's Day.
Kensington Palace captioned the photo, “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the past two months. We wish you all a Happy Mother's Day,” and signed the photo with a “C” for “Catherine.” .
Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that the Duchess of Cambridge was undergoing “planned abdominal surgery” and was unlikely to be able to return to work until around Easter in late March.
After the surgery, she spent 13 nights at the London Clinic near Regent's Park in central London, before returning to Windsor Castle on January 29 to continue her recovery.
While it's common for royals to take time off for health reasons, it's unusual for the royal family to disappear from public life and spark a social media firestorm at the end of February.
At that point, Kate hadn't been photographed in public for over two months, as her last official outing was on Christmas Day.
Speculation surrounding Duchess Kate's absence and the royal family's refusal to address the rumors has only heightened public speculation, with many wondering if the British royal family is in crisis. .
However, in a statement sent to Business Insider on February 29, the Palace said she was “doing well” and reiterated that it would not provide regular updates on her recovery schedule.
“As we have made clear since our initial statement in January, we do not intend to provide rolling commentary or provide daily updates,” it reads.
Earlier this week, he was spotted in a car with his mother Carole Middleton near Windsor Castle.
