A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the Duchess was continuing to recover from abdominal surgery and was doing “well”.
Kate, 42, was photographed sitting in the passenger seat of her mother Carole Middleton's car near Windsor Castle on Monday. This photo has not been published or endorsed by Kensington Palace.
The photo marks the first public appearance of the Duchess Kate, wife of Prince William and mother of three, since undergoing abdominal surgery and spending about two weeks in hospital in mid-January. It became.
Duchess Kate's disappearance from public life, coupled with Prince William's recent absence from a royal engagement due to “personal issues,” has fueled speculation online about the Duchess's well-being. .
A palace spokesperson dismissed social media speculation in a statement to ABC News last week, saying: “Kensington Palace revealed the Princess's recovery timeline in January and we will only provide essential updates. “I intend to do so. Those guidelines are valid.”
Here are the latest updates on Kate's health and what is publicly known.
Kate's last public appearance was on Christmas Day.
Kate's last public appearance was on Christmas Day, when she attended church with members of the royal family.
Duchess Kate was seen smiling and greeting fans as she walked to the traditional royal Christmas morning service at Sandringham with Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.
The Welsh were joined by other members of the royal family, including King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla.
Kate underwent abdominal surgery in January.
On January 17, less than a month after Christmas, Kensington Palace announced that Kate had been admitted to the London Clinic the day before for “planned abdominal surgery”.
The palace did not provide details about the type of surgery Kate underwent, but confirmed to ABC News at the time that the princess's medical problem was not cancer.
“The Princess of Wales is grateful for the interest this statement has generated,” the Palace said in a statement on January 17, “and her desire to maintain as much normality as possible for her children and her I hope that the people understand my wishes.” Her personal medical information remains private. ”
“The Princess of Wales would like to apologize to everyone involved for the fact that she has had to postpone her upcoming engagement,” the statement continued. “She looks forward to bringing back as many people as possible as soon as possible.”
Prince William, heir to the throne, has postponed official duties while Duchess Kate is hospitalized.
He was seen making private trips to the London Clinic to visit Kate during her stay. The couple's three children are not believed to have visited the Duchess in hospital.
Kate is currently recuperating at home.
The palace announced on January 29, almost two weeks after Kate underwent surgery, that the princess had been discharged from hospital.
From there, Duchess Kate continued to recuperate at her parents' home in Windsor, about 30 miles from London.
“The Princess of Wales has returned to her home in Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery and is recovering well,” a palace spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “The Prince and Princess would like to express their huge gratitude to the entire team at the London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for their care.”
The spokesperson added: “The Welsh family remains grateful for the well wishes received from around the world.”
Since returning home from hospital, the Duchess has been spending time with her family at Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
Prince William has released an official statement regarding Duchess Kate's health.
After taking time off while Duchess Kate was hospitalized, Prince William returned to royal duties on February 7, replacing his father in presiding over the investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Later that day, Prince William attended a charity fundraiser for London Air Ambulance with actor Tom Cruise at a central London hotel.
At the celebration, Prince William made his first and so far only public comment about Duchess Kate.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Duchess Kate and my father for their kind messages of support, particularly in recent days,” William said. “It means a lot to all of us.”
William joked: “It's fair to say that the last few weeks have been more of a 'medical' focus, so I thought I'd come to the air ambulance to get away from it all. ” he continued.
Since then, William has attended the BAFTAs alone, with Duchess Kate traditionally by his side at the event.
On Tuesday, Prince William sparked speculation by absenting himself from the thanksgiving service for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, at St George's Chapel, citing “personal circumstances”.
Prince William returned to royal duties on Thursday, visiting London's Western Marble Arch Synagogue.
In contrast to Charles, Kate remained completely out of the public eye during her recovery.
Prince William's father Charles was briefly admitted to a London clinic at the same time as Duchess Kate in January.
Charles spent several nights at the London Clinic for a treatment plan for his enlarged prostate.
Shortly after being discharged from hospital, Buckingham Palace announced that the 75-year-old king had been diagnosed with cancer.
The palace has not disclosed the type of cancer Charles has, the stage it is in, or the type of treatment he is receiving.
But in contrast to Kate's absence, Charles has made several public appearances since his diagnosis, including attending church with Camilla at Sandringham and traveling back and forth to London for treatment.
Last week, the palace released a photo of Prince Charles reading some of the well-wishes cards and letters the palace said the king had received.
Duchess Kate's first public appearance could be on or around Easter Sunday
At the time of the surgery, the palace announced that Kate was unlikely to resume royal duties until later this spring.
In past years, Prince William, Duchess Kate and their children have been photographed walking to church with other members of the royal family on Easter Sunday.
The royal family is expected to gather in public again in June for the annual Trooping the Color to celebrate Charles III's birthday.
Britain's Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that Kate, Duchess Kate, would be attending this year's celebrations, but later removed her name and photo from the military's “Force Overview” ad. Kensington Palace has not confirmed Duchess Kate's attendance.
