Kate Middleton shares first official picture following surgery as King Charles pays…

10 March 2024, 09:09 | Updated: 10 March 2024, 10:30

The first official photo of Kate has been released following her abdominal surgery.

The Princess of Wales thanked the public for their “kind wishes and continued support” following her operation.

She spent almost two weeks in the London Clinic in Marylebone and was discharged at the end of January to continue her recovery at home in Windsor.

Sharing the image to mark Mother’s Day, Kate said: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

“Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

It comes as King Charles also paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth to mark Mother’s Day.

Sharing an image of them together, the official royal family Twitter account said: “Wishing all Mothers, and those who are missing their Mums today, a peaceful Mothering Sunday.”

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Kate was last seen in public attending the Christmas Day service at Sandringham with the rest of the royal family.

However, she was pictured publicly for the first time with her mother Carole Middleton on Monday by US outlet TMZ.

It follows weeks of speculation on her whereabouts, with Kensington Palace refusing to give further updates on her recovery.

The palace slammed the “madness of social media”, insisting that Kate has a right to privacy and that she is “doing well”.

Kate will not return to her royal duties until after Easter.

On Wednesday, it was announced on the Ministry of Defence website that she would be at its Trooping the Colour event in June, but she was later removed from the event page.

Meanwhile, King Charles has also been forced to step back from some of his duties after his cancer diagnosis.

Queen Camilla and Prince William have since stepped up to lead the senior royals, along with Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

They will attend Commonwealth Day celebrations at Westminster Abbey next week.

Sunday also marks Prince Edward’s 60th birthday, with the King having appointed him to the Order of the Thistle.

Appointments to the order – the highest honour in Scotland – are entirely in the personal gift of the King and do not require prime ministerial advice.

The order has a complement of 16 knights and ladies, and in addition the Queen, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Rothesay, as the Prince of Wales is known in Scotland, are Royal Knights of the Thistle.

Charles made Edward the Duke of Edinburgh to mark his 59th birthday, and he had his first solo engagement with the title at the Palace of Holyroodhouse a few days later, hosting participants in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Queen Elizabeth II granted him the additional title of Earl of Forfar to mark his 55th birthday, and he holds several patronages of Scottish charitable organisations including the Edinburgh International Festival.