Kate Middleton and Prince William were photographed in a car leaving Windsor Castle this morning. The Prince of Wales was heading to Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey, while the Princess was going to a private appointment. Since her surgery, Kate has been recuperating at their Adelaide Cottage home, which is on the Windsor Castle estate.
In the photo (see above), both royals are seated in the backseat of the vehicle, and Kate is looking out the window, so the cameras did not capture her face. This marks the first image of the couple since Kate’s surgery in January, and their first public appearance together since Christmas Day.
The paparazzi photo of the Waleses comes just hours after Kensington Palace issued a statement from Kate, apologizing for editing a family photo, which was released in celebration of UK Mother’s Day, and then recalled by numerous photo agencies over concerns that it was digitally manipulated. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate wrote in a message shared on Kensington Palace’s social media channels. “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.”
The Palace has not shared the original photograph of Kate with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
This is the second paparazzi photograph taken of the Princess since her abdominal surgery in January. The first, taken last week, showed her in the front seat of a car being driven by her mom, Carole Middleton, was not published by UK media. This one, however, has already appeared in major British tabloids, including the Daily Mail and the Sun.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
