Prince William briefly mentioned his wife, Kate Middleton, at an event Thursday as conspiracy theories about the Princess of Wales’ whereabouts continue to swirl following her mysterious surgery.
The Prince of Wales, 41, was speaking at the Diana Legacy Awards at the Science Museum in London when he casually used Middleton’s name.
“[Princess Diana’s] legacy is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award over the past 25 years,” he told attendees while delivering a speech in honor of his late mother.
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William proceeded to present the awards to 20 recipients and then departed the ceremony before his estranged brother, Prince Harry, made a virtual appearance from California.
The future king has resumed his busy work schedule despite concerns for Middleton, 42, rising as she stays out of the public eye.
Earlier Thursday, he attended the opening of a new youth zone called WEST in Hammersmith, West London, where he made a light-hearted comment in passing about his wife.
William was decorating cookies with children when an attendee complimented his icing skills.
“It’s really not impressive work. My wife is the arty one,” the apron-clad royal said.
While William’s rep said earlier this month that the prince’s “focus is on his work and not on social media,” he has refused to acknowledge any of the wild conspiracies surrounding Middleton himself — even though she has remained unseen since her abdominal surgery in January, aside from two very brief paparazzi sightings near Windsor Castle.
Kensington Palace has assured Pvnew that Middleton is “doing well” and expected to return to her in-person responsibilities after Easter.
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However, the rumor mill was set ablaze when she posted a heavily edited photo with her and William’s three kids — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — in celebration of UK Mother’s Day last Sunday.
Upon recognizing several inconsistencies in the family portrait, including misalignments and missing pieces, major news agencies including the Associated Press and Reuters issued a “kill notice” to halt use of the “manipulated” photo.
In a rare move, Middleton issued an apology the next day and admitted to editing the picture.
“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,” she wrote on X. “I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
A palace insider claimed Middleton feels “awful” about the snafu and just wanted to make the photo the “best it could be.”
