The Prince and Princess of Wales released a warming family photo of Princess Kate with her three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis on Mother’s Day.
A royal historian believes Kensington Palace released the photo of Kate to “stop the speculation” while she recovers in private from her abdominal surgery, which took place in January.
Historian and royal expert Kate Williams told CNN: “They [Kensington Palace] are trying to send a clear message to both the public and the press to respect Kate’s privacy on this medical matter.”
She added: “What they’re trying to say is Kate is recovering, she’s fine, no more worries, no more panic, no more speculation.”
Within hours of the photo being released, four major photo agencies removed the snap over fears it had been “manipulated”.
The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP), and Getty Images all separately sent out a “kill notice” to media organisations worldwide, confirming they had each removed the image from their individual collections.
A notice from The Associated Press stated: “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”
The royal historian added: “I think the last thing they [Kensington Palace] want is for her to feel she can’t go out and walk in case she’s going to be photographed.”
In an official capacity, Princess Kate was last seen in Sandringham on Christmas Day with the wider Royal Family.
Since then, a grainy photo was published by US website TMZ showing the princess wearing sunglasses and a coat in the front of an Audi 4×4 as she was spotted near Windsor Castle, not far from her home. Express.co.uk has chosen not to publish these images.
After the recent photo was published on Mother’s Day, many fans expressed their joy in seeing the Princess of Wales happy with her children on this special occasion.
The post was captioned: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.”
One excited fan wrote on X: “Welcome back, Goddess Catherine. Princess of Wales. Have a Glorious Mothering Sunday.”
42-year-old Kate was admitted to the London Clinic for a planned operation on January 16. She returned home after 13 days following the successful operation and is thought to have been recovering at her home in Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor.
