After months away from the public eye following an abdominal surgery and conspiracy theories swirling around her disappearance, Kate Middleton has finally broken her silence.
The Princess of Wales shared an unseen family photo on Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in the UK this week.
The image showed the mother of three, 42, sitting in a chair at the family’s home in Windsor, surrounded by her and Prince William’s three kids – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
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“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” Middleton captioned the Instagram post Sunday.
“Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day,” she added, signing off with a cheerful “C.”
Hours later, major photo agencies issued a “kill notice” regarding the new photograph of Middleton and her kids, stating that it had been altered.
The snap, which was captured by her husband, 41, marks the first official photo of Middleton released by the palace since she underwent abdominal surgery on Jan. 16.
Her eldest son, George, wrapped his arms around her from behind the chair while Charlotte and Louis stood on either side of her beaming.
The new image was released a few days after the royal was spotted in the passenger seat of a black Audi SUV while her mom, Carole Middleton, drove near Windsor Castle.
The snap, which was taken on Monday, marked the first time Middleton had been seen since Christmas 2023, when she and her family matched in shades of blue at a church in Norfolk, England.
The following month, Kensington Palace announced that she had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” on Jan. 16, 2024.
“The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery,” a statement posted to Instagram at the time read.
A spokesperson also noted that she was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” which falls on March 31 this year.
Nevertheless, Middleton’s lengthy absence from the public eye led many to speculate about her whereabouts.
Even her uncle, Gary Goldsmith, offered a cryptic response when asked about his niece’s surgery recovery on an episode of the UK’s “Celebrity Big Brother” earlier this week.
Just days ago, the 59-year-old Brit made a cryptic remark about Kate’s whereabouts, which has been a hot topic in the media after her abdominal surgery.
He assured his fellow contestants that she was “getting the best care in the world” and she would “of course” be back in the spotlight eventually, but noted he couldn’t discuss specifics because of the “code of etiquette.”
