- Kensington celebrated Mother's Day in the UK by sharing a new photo of Duchess Kate and her children.
- This is Kate's first official photo since her abdominal surgery in January.
- She disappeared from public view for more than two months, sparking conspiracy theories about her health.
After months of being away from public life and sparking conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and health, Kensington Palace has released a new photo of the Duchess Kate to mark Mother's Day in the UK.
The photo shows Kate sitting in a chair, smiling, surrounded by her three children. Eight-year-old Princess Charlotte and five-year-old Prince Louis stand on either side of her, while 10-year-old Prince George stands behind her with his arm around her.
Prince William was photographed at Windsor Castle earlier this week. BBC report.
This is Kate's first official photo since her abdominal surgery in January.
A photo uploaded to her social media account also included a message from the Duchess of Cambridge thanking the public for their support and wishing other families a happy Mother's Day.
Kensington Palace captioned the photo, “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the past two months. We wish you all a Happy Mother's Day,” and signed the photo with a “C” for “Catherine.” .
Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that the Duchess of Cambridge was undergoing “planned abdominal surgery” and was unlikely to be able to return to work until around Easter in late March.
After the surgery, she spent 13 nights at the London Clinic near Regent's Park in central London, before returning to Windsor Castle on January 29 to continue her recovery.
While it's common for royals to take time off for health reasons, it's unusual for the royal family to disappear from public life and spark a social media firestorm at the end of February.
By then, Kate had not been photographed in public for over two months – her last public outing was on Christmas Day.
Speculation surrounding Duchess Kate's absence and the royal family's refusal to address the rumors has only heightened public speculation, with many wondering if the British royal family is in crisis. .
However, in a statement sent to Business Insider on February 29, the Palace said she was “doing well” and reiterated that it would not provide regular updates on her recovery schedule.
“As we have made clear since our initial statement in January, we do not intend to provide rolling commentary or provide daily updates,” it reads.
Earlier this week, Carole was spotted in a car with her mother Carole Middleton near Windsor Castle.
