Kate Middleton’s Health: Royal Recovery, Photo Controversy and Public Speculation

The Princess of Wales, Kate, has been largely absent from public view as she recuperates from abdominal surgery she had in January. The 42-year-old royal was last seen on March 4, photographed in a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, near Windsor Castle. This image, not officially released or approved by Kensington Palace, was the first glimpse the public had of the princess since December.

Kate’s absence, along with a recently published and then retracted photo of her with her children, and Prince William’s absence from a royal event due to a “personal matter,” have sparked widespread online speculation about her health.

On Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, William and Kate shared a photo on their official X account featuring Kate and their three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte. The photo, the first of Kate released by the palace since her hospitalization, was credited to William. However, shortly after its release, several global news agencies retracted the photo over concerns it was “manipulated.”

The Associated Press, one of the agencies, issued a statement to ABC News explaining the retraction: “because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”

In response, Kate issued a rare public apology, admitting to editing the photo and expressing regret for any “confusion” it may have caused. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate said in a statement shared on X. “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.”

Hany Farid, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed the photo and found only “relatively minor photo manipulation.” He explained, “If you look at the sleeve of the girl on the right, you see what looks like traces of manipulation. I think most likely it is either some bad photoshop to, for example, remove a stain on the sweater, or is the result of on-camera photo compositing that combines multiple photos together to get a photo where everyone is smiling. For the latter, if the subjects move between successive images, it can cause this type of ghosting.”

Despite the controversy, a palace spokesperson told ABC News on Feb. 29 that Kate is “doing well” in her recovery. The spokesperson dismissed recent social media speculation about Kate’s health, stating, “Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.”

Kate’s last official public appearance was on Christmas Day, when she attended church with members of the royal family. She was seen smiling and greeting fans as she walked to the royal family’s traditional Christmas morning service at Sandringham alongside William and their three children. They were joined by other members of the royal family, including King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla.

Less than a month later, on Jan. 17, Kensington Palace announced that Kate had been admitted the previous day to The London Clinic for “planned abdominal surgery.” The palace did not provide further details on the type of surgery but confirmed to ABC News at the time that the princess’s medical issue was non-cancerous.

“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the palace said in a statement issued on Jan. 17. “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 announced on Jan. 29, nearly two weeks after Kate underwent surgery, that the princess had been discharged from the hospital. From there, Kate continued her recovery at the family’s home in Windsor, about 30 miles outside of London.

“The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress,” a palace spokesperson 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.”

Since being home from the hospital, Kate has also spent time with her family at Anmer Hall, their home in Norfolk. After taking time off while Kate was hospitalized, William returned to his public duties on Feb. 7, stepping in for his father to lead an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Later that day, William joined actor Tom Cruise at a central London hotel for a charity fundraising gala for London’s Air Ambulance. At the gala, William made his first and so far only public remarks about Kate. “I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially, in recent days,” William said. “It means a great deal to us all.”

Following up with a joke, William continued, “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus. So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all.”

On Feb. 27, William sparked speculation after he missed a service of Thanksgiving for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, at St. George’s Chapel, citing a “personal matter.” However, he quickly returned to his public duties, visiting the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London later in the week.

At the time of her surgery, the palace said Kate was not likely to resume her public duties until later this spring. The U. K. Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that Kate would attend this year’s Trooping the Colour celebration of King Charles III’s birthday, but later removed her name and picture from the Army’s advertisement of the Colonel’s Review of Trooping the Colour. Kate’s attendance has not been confirmed by Kensington Palace.

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