Kate Middleton has been seen in public for the first time since December, according to Page Six.
On January 16, 2024, Kensington Palace announced that she had undergone a planned abdominal surgery, and would be spending two weeks in the hospital.
The Palace also stated that she would not return to her public duties until after Easter. But now Kate has been spotted with her mom driving near Windsor Castle. Here’s what you need to know.
The Official Statement Given About Kate’s Disappearance
The Palace’s statement following Kate’s surgery read:
“Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery. 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. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. 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.
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“Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.
“The Princess of Wales wishes to apologize to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.”
Regardless of the announcement, the people of the internet began to speculate about what exactly happened to her last week after Prince William was scheduled to attend the funeral of his godfather, the late King Constantine II of Greece, only to later cancel due to personal reasons.
The personal reasons remained undisclosed.
Kate Was Spotted in a Black Audi with Her Mother
Kate was seen in a black Audi SUV with her mother, Carol Middleton, who was driving the car, and both appeared to look stoic.
Kate wore dark sunglasses and her hair down, and seemed to be wearing clothing that covered her up to her neck.
The two were seen driving near Windsor Castle, and were photographed by the paparazzi company, Backgrid.
After the subject of her alleged disappearance went viral online, a spokesperson for Kensington Palace spoke out to Newsweek, saying:
“As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we shall not be providing a running commentary or providing daily updates.”
Just one month earlier, on January 29, the Palace gave an update on Kate’s progress, saying:
“The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress.
“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 Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”
That was the final update given about the Duchess of Wales until the Palace was forced to speak out again after the discourse surrounding her absence and alleged disappearance.
Kate returned to her home with Prince William and their three children, Adelaide Cottage, which is notoriously private and inaccessible to the public.
It’s still unclear why Kate and her mother were driving near Windsor Castle, and how they were photographed by paparazzi.
