Kate Middleton can be seen beaming and chatting with Prince William as they walked through the car park of their local farm shop in a new video shared in the aftermath of the Mother's Day photograph controversy.
In a short clip released by The Sun, the Prince and Princess of Wales walk discreetly out of the farm shop close to their Adelaide Cottage home. Kate, dressed in a pair of dark leggings and a zip up jumper, could be seen smiling as she spoke with her husband, carrying a shopping bag. Prince William donned a low baseball cap for the occasion.
While it had been reported that Kate and William had visited a farm shop, where they'd been seen by locals, hysteria on social media pointed out there was no photographic evidence of the outing. But the video released by The Sun appears to show a couple happy, healthy and in good spirits.
It marked the first time the Princess has been seen out-and-about since the scandal last week, and an apparent return to form for Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery which took place in January.
Updates on the Princess’ wellbeing have been sparse since it was announced she was undergoing planned surgery back in January - however social media rumours and a frenzy of tabloid speculation appear have prompted a number of statements from the palace. When the surgery was announced, an official statement from the palace acknowledged the ‘interest’ this news will garner but asked for respect and privacy during what will no doubt be a challenging time for Kate's closest family.
Sources have speculated as to whether the traditional royal walk through the grounds of Windsor could represent an opportunity for the Princess to make a gentle return to working life
In a statement, a spokesperson said, ‘The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate.
‘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.’
Now, sources have said Kate will ‘want to be clear and more open’ about her recovery in future but confirmed she ‘won’t be rushed.'
Speaking to The Sunday Times, a royal source explained, ‘[Kate and William] are at their most open when out interacting with members of the public and I can see a world in which the princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements.’
Elsewhere, they condemned the frenzy of social media rumour and pressure, with an insider saying the couple are trying their best to keep their family life as normal as possible.
The source said, ‘These are people with three small children going through the hardest time they’ve had to go through as a family, with that as an awful backdrop. They are trying to keep things as normal as possible for the kids, but it’s not easy.’
Royal experts also revealed yesterday that Prince William felt the ‘hounding’ of his wife was similar to the pressure faced by his mother, Princess Diana.
The now infamous image released for Mother’s Day marked the first time the Princess had been seen officially since her surgery and was supposed to quell social media rumours which had become a frenzy in recent days. However, after the picture was released on Sunday 10 March, eagle-eyed members of the public were quick to point out a number of ‘errors’ in the image which appeared to have been digitally manipulated. The Palace came under immense pressure over the picture after it was withdrawn by Reuters, AP, Getty and AFP, before Kate Middleton released a statement to reveal she, in fact, had edited it.
After the admission, the Princess was pictured as she joined Prince William on the drive out of Windsor ahead of the Commonwealth Day Service. She didn't join the royal family at the event however, instead attending a ‘private appointment.’
Reports suggested the Princess has been left hurt by the scandal which has been caused. A palace insider told The Telegraph that Kate had just tried to make the picture the ‘best it could be’. Meanwhile, according to the Mirror a friend of the Princess said she was ‘deeply upset’ over the storm caused by what was supposed to be an ‘innocent family photograph.’
