Princess Kate is raising royal questions about personal health and privacy.
The Princess of Wales first fueled rumors surrounding her royal role in January, when the palace announced she underwent abdominal surgery. At the time, she asked for privacy about her health and expressed through the palace that she was "unlikely" to return to work until after the Easter holiday in late March.
Conspiracy theories and internet speculation have complicated Princess Kate's pause from public life as the media and royal onlookers fuel more conversations about one of the family's most popular members. Here's what we know about Princess Kate's whereabouts, from her last public appearance to her controversial Mother's Day photo.
Princess Kate last official appearance in her royal duties occurred during the family's annual Christmas services at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham in Norfolk, England, where she appeared in a chic all blue outfit with husband Prince William and their children, Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5. Other star royal family members made appearances with King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Duchess of York Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson.
King Charles III, Prince William, morecelebrate Christmas at Sandringham: Photos
On Jan. 17, Kensington Palace announced that Kate underwent a "successful" surgery on Jan. 16 and was expected to remain hospitalized for 10 to 14 days.
Kate asked for privacy amid her recovery. "She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private," the palace said.
"Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter," according to the statement, which falls on the calendar this year on Sunday, March 31.
The Princess of Wales, 42, returned to the royal's home in Windsor to continue her abdominal surgery recovery. "She is making good progress," Kensington Palace said in a statement at the time.
"The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided," the statement continued. "The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world."
After fiery speculation about Princess Kate's public absence reached a fever pitch, Kensington Palace stepped in to squash the theories.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, is "doing well," a spokesperson for the royal told People and ABC News in a statement. "We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant," the statement continued.
In the first official photo released since the Princess of Wales' abdominal surgery announcement in January, the family thanked their supporters on their Prince and Princess of Wales Instagram account.
"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day," the caption read, in celebration of the U.K. holiday. In the photo snapped by Prince William, 41, Kate was seated in a chair as the three couple's children were embraced by their mother.
One day after posting the Mother's Day portrait, Princess Kate apologized after the photo was removed from use by several major photo agencies.
Several major photo agencies pulled an image of the Princess of Wales that she shared on Instagram Sunday. The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters issued kill notifications shortly after the family photo was published — showing Kate seated on a chair and surrounded by her children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — due to "manipulation."
Full story:Photo agencies remove latest Princess Kate picture over 'manipulation,' fueling conspiracy
In a Monday morning post from the Prince and Princess of Wales accounts on X, the princess apologized and said the confusion over the photo was due to her editing.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the post reads. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C."
Contributing: Emily DeLetter, Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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