KThis is the first time Middleton has been seen since undergoing “planned abdominal surgery” two months ago.
TMZ published an image on Monday of the 42-year-old Princess of Wales riding in a car with her mother near Windsor Castle. The images follow weeks of persistent online speculation and even conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts. The royal was last seen with Prince William and his children at the Christmas festivities in Norfolk, England, but no sightings or images of her have existed since. Not yet.
Meanwhile, Gary Goldsmith, the Prince of Wales's uncle, appeared on British reality show Big Brother on Monday night and said his niece was recovering from surgery in “some nice house”. .
Kensington Palace released a statement in January announcing that Kate underwent abdominal surgery in January and would recover out of the spotlight until after Easter. In her statement, she added that it is her desire to maintain “as normal a life as possible for the children” and to keep her medical information private.
But in the meantime, social media users and royal observers have begun sharing all sorts of conspiracy theories about the duchess' extended absence.Kate is Discharged from hospital on January 29thafter two weeks in hospital, Kensington Palace announced that she was “making good progress” and was recuperating at her parents' home in Windsor.
read more: The history of royal secrets regarding Duchess Kate and her health issues
Prince William took a break from royal duties while Duchess Kate recuperated, but returned to the royal family for her investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on February 7. Meanwhile, Duchess Kate is scheduled to take part in the royal family's annual Trooping the Color parade on June 8th.
Speculation about the Princess of Wales' health and whereabouts comes at a sensitive time for the royal family, after Buckingham Palace revealed last month that King Charles had been diagnosed with a type of cancer.
So far, major British media outlets have not published TMZ's images. “There are pictures of the Princess of Wales's dad. We are not operating them out of respect for her privacy while she recovers from surgery within her given time frame,” ITV royals said. Editor Chris Shipp writes: post “As far as I know, no other British broadcasters or newspapers have published the photo.”
Although the royal family has long been secretive about medical information, the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince have previously spoken openly about medical issues, including pregnancy and mental health.
“That's why it's strange that Prince William and Duchess Kate are so silent about what's going on with them,” royal historian Claire McHugh previously told TIME.
