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London:
Confusion reigned on Tuesday over the British military’s announcement of Catherine, Princess of Wales’s first official mission since she underwent surgery at the birthday celebrations of her father-in-law, King Charles III, in June.
The British military initially said Catherine, who is married to heir to the throne Prince William, would review soldiers on June 8 as part of the annual Trooping the Color ceremony.
Kate and William’s office at Kensington Palace did not formally confirm her appearance and the Army later removed a reference to her from its website.
This occurred just 24 hours after Kate was seen in public for the first time since undergoing abdominal surgery in January, according to photographs published by the American media TMZ.
The army website lists the king, who is being treated for cancer, as attending the main military parade on June 15, which marks his official birthday.
Charles, 75, held a personal audience on Tuesday with Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt, who delivers the government’s budget on Wednesday.
The British head of state, dressed in a blue suit and light tie, was photographed shaking hands with Hunt as he welcomed him to Buckingham Palace in London.
Charles, who became king in September 2022 after the death of his mother Elizabeth II, was diagnosed last month with an unspecified cancer.
The 42-year-old princess has been recovering mainly at the home she shares with William and their three young children in Windsor, west London, since leaving hospital on January 29.
Photos published by TMZ showed Kate wearing sunglasses while her mother drove her around in a car. The celebrity news site said the images were taken on Monday near Windsor Castle.
Social media has been abuzz with conspiracy theories about the princess’s prolonged absence from the spotlight. Rather than suppress the rumours, Joe Little, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said the photograph had “generated further speculation”.
“It is a complicated situation because we all have the right to our privacy when we are not feeling well,” he told AFP.
“But when you’re a member of the royal family, which is quite complicated and difficult to maintain, there’s naturally a huge amount of public interest.”
Real shortage
The illnesses of Charles and Catherine have generated a sense of uncertainty around the royal family.
William himself missed events to take care of his family. He also pulled out of a recent memorial service for his late godfather, King Constantine II of Greece, over an unspecified “personal matter.”
Charles’s wife, Queen Camilla, 76, has been the most visible royal, stepping in to cover many of her husband’s public duties during his treatment.
He is now on break until March 11, when he is expected to join William and other royals at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
She is reported to be on vacation this week, meaning the four most senior royals are out of action.
William, 41, was last seen in public on Thursday during a visit to a London synagogue, where he condemned the rise of anti-Semitism in Britain.
She also attended last month’s BAFTA awards ceremony in London.
Kate’s last public appearance was on December 25, when the royal family attended a church service on Christmas Day, about three weeks before she was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery.
Royal officials declined to say why she was being treated, but said the condition was not cancerous.
He spent almost two weeks in hospital and Kensington Palace said he was unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter on March 31.
The princess, widely known as Kate, is one of the most popular members of the royal family.
She and William have taken on more royal duties since his younger brother Prince Harry and his wife Meghan left for the United States in 2020, and the king’s brother Prince Andrew took a step back due to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated channel.)