Catherine, Princess of Wales is said to be “functioning well but not 100 per cent” as she recovers from an abdominal surgery in January.
Kate, 42, has kept a low profile since the operation, only spotted once in the many weeks since — when she was pictured on Tuesday in a car near Windsor with her mother Carole Middleton.
She is expected to continue her recovery until after Easter, with her first royal duties yet to be confirmed by Kensington Palace.
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Despite the sighting of her and her mother, “wild conspiracy theories” continue to circulate online, along with the trending hashtag “#WhereisKate”.
“From what I hear, Kate has got into a routine again and is functioning well, but she doesn’t want to rush things,” Sunrise royal editor Rob Jobson told UK magazine Hello!
“I have spoken to people close to her and I think she is recovering well but is not quite 100 per cent.”
The online “conspiracy theories” around Kate appear to have been prompted by two recent events.
First, William withdrew from the February 26 memorial of his godfather, the late former King Constantine of Greece, due to a “personal matter”.
William left 30 minutes before the service was expected to begin at Windsor Castle, a short walking distance from his home on the grounds, Adelaide Cottage, Daily Mail reports.
His representative has since released a statement as the Prince of Wales resumes his duties: “His focus is on his work and not on social media.”
The second event thought to have prompted the “conspiracy theories” is the British Army’s removal from its website of a listing of Kate as attending a Trooping the Colour event on June 8.
The Princess of Wales was originally listed as attending the “Colonels’ Review”, part of annual military events that mark the official birthday of the British Sovereign.
But Kensington Palace has not confirmed her appearance at the June 8 event, and the British Army removed the mention from its website.
Kate is still recovering from her surgery on January 17, and is not expected to resume public duties until after Easter.
The palace has not released any details of the princess’ abdominal operation, other than to say it was “planned” and was not related to cancer.
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” a statement said in January.
“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.”
