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Prince William was cheered as he returned to royal duties today just hours after the first footage of Kate Middleton since her abdominal surgery emerged, putting to bed febrile conspiracy theories about her health.
The Prince of Wales ploughed on with the day job in Sheffield to further his aim to help end homelessness in Britain in the next five years as his wife continues her recuperation from abdominal surgery at home.
William waved to crowds and spoke to families who have experienced homelessness while visiting the city, which is one of six locations for his Homewards initiative, which he set up in 2023.
This afternoon the heir to the throne met community representatives and grassroots organisations taking part in a workshop to help design a new housing project in South Yorkshire.
It came hours after millions in Britain and around the world were thrilled to see the smiling and spritely Princess of Wales properly for the first time since mid-January.
The footage published by The Sun shows the future queen walking quickly with a bag of shopping and chatting animatedly to her husband on Saturday afternoon.
It also smashed bizarre, baseless and hurtful conspiracy theories being spread about her online including she is dead, or has been replaced by a body double or the Wales’ marriage is in trouble.
One royal source told the Telegraph: ‘Finally everyone can calm down’.
Prince William waves to a cheering crowd in Sheffield today as he returned to royal duties
A smiling Prince of Wales during a visit to the Learning Zone in the Northeast of the Sheffield, one of the areas of the city where families are disproportionately at risk of homelessness today
The Prince of Wales laughs as he promotes his initiative to banish homelessness
His Royal Highness joined a meeting of local landlords, convened by Homewards, to discuss how they can work together to end family homelessness
Chief royal correspondent at Newsweek, Jack Royston, slapped down ‘numpties’ questioning the footage of Kate, declaring: ‘It is so obviously Kate in the footage. She’s recovering from surgery and has no make-up on. She could do a DNA test and people wouldn’t believe it’s her’.
He also said he is convinced William and Kate’s public outing to their local farm shop in Windsor reveals they were keen to be spotted in public as conspiracy theories about them swirl.
‘They weren’t born yesterday. They do understand that they are at the centre of a massive international news story. They must have been comfortable with the risk of being photographed’, he said.
It also emerged today that the Palace is accelerating plans for the Princess of Wales’ return to full royal duties as soon as possible now she is clearly on the mend.
The earlier she can appear the quicker cruel rumours will be banished, an insider said, adding: ‘The teams are working round the clock to devise the Princess of Wales’s back-to-work plan after weeks of immense pressure.’
And a source close to William today made clear he was determined to ignore speculation surrounding Kate, telling MailOnline: ‘His focus is Homewards today.’
MailOnline understands that the couple have become aware of much of what is being said and are deeply saddened and distressed by the often vile speculation.
Kensington Palace has repeatedly declined to comment and a source close to William today made clear he was determined to ignore the conjecture. ‘His focus is Homewards today,’ they said.
The Prince’s initiative to end UK homelessness is one of his biggest personal passions and something he has pledged his commitment to for life.
Today, he travelled to South Yorkshire after his homelessness project was given a boost worth £1million from Homebase.
The future king unveiled a DIY retailer’s pledge of support in the form of up to 1,500 home starter packs, which could include paint, furniture, flooring and furnishings to help tenants turn a property into a home.
William spoke to families who have experienced homelessness while visiting the city, which is one of six locations for his Homewards initiative, which he set up in 2023
William speaks in Sheffield today
King Charles III arriving at Clarence House this morning, after he was pictured leaving Windsor Castle
The packs from Homebase, an official Homewards supporter, are being provided to the housing projects created in Homewards’ six flagship areas launched by William last year, and a further Duchy of Cornwall development.
Today’s event was staged at a community space called The Learning Zone in Sheffield and attended by Damian McGloughlin, Homebase’s chief executive officer.
He said: ‘At Homebase, we know how important it is to have a place to call home, and we’re committed to co-producing home starter packs with the people who will be using them.
‘Over the next five years, we’ll help end the cycle of homelessness by supporting a fresh start with a fresh lick of paint, and all their home needs.’
William also sat down with local landlords to discuss their support for ending homelessness among families – a growing issue in the city – and heard about the housing commitments they are making to support the programme.
Social housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa, whose own family suffered homelessness, also joined the session to give his thoughts on housing insecurity.
A group of landlords including Keystone Property Group, Places for People, Letzmove, My Landlord Cares and Arches Housing has pledged more than 30 three and four-bedroom properties for families on the brink of losing their homes.
Homewards wants to focus on unlocking more affordable, long-term family homes from across the rented sector in Sheffield to help families who may be struggling to find a permanent place to live.
Each Homewards location will deliver its own housing project over five years, designed to meet local needs to tackle homelessness and test new ways to unlock homes at scale, both within their area and beyond.
The six areas are Newport, South Wales, three neighbouring Dorset towns – Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch, the south London Borough of Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen and Sheffield.
Later in the day William will visit the city centre for a meeting of the Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition, which over the past nine months has been working to create an action plan to tackle the housing issues facing the city.
The group will discuss the project’s impact and its next steps forward.
William’s visit comes after the couple were pictured at the Windsor Farm Shop on Saturday.
People flock to the shop, which was the idea of the late Duke of Edinburgh, to buy locally sourced goods and produce from the royal estates.
Nelson Silva, who saw the royal couple, told TMZ: ‘I noticed a couple choosing loaves of bread and the woman turned her face and I felt like I had seen the face before. It was familiar.
‘I went to my car and as they came out of the shop I just filmed them. I think they walked out through a gate out of the grounds. They just vanished and I didn’t see a car.
‘Kate looked happy and relaxed. They look happy just to be able to go to a shop and mingle. Kate looked relieved, like it was a success going to a shop. It felt natural.’
The royal couple also spent Sunday morning watching Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis taking part in a sporting event, according to The Sun.
Kate’s absence from public life, following abdominal surgery on January 16, has led to wild conspiracy theories on social media about her whereabouts and health.
Details of her condition have not been disclosed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.
The online speculation increased after irregularities were spotted in a Mother’s Day photograph of Kate and her children, which led to the princess admitting to ‘editing’ the image and apologising for any ‘confusion’ caused.
March 11: Prince William and Kate are seen leaving Windsor together as they are driven in a car
March 10: Kensington Palace released the first picture of Kate since her abdominal surgery
December 25, 2023: Kate was last seen with her family attending church at Sandringham
The future Queen has been photographed in public twice since her operation.
In a picture published on March 4, she was a front-seat passenger in a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, in the Windsor area.
She was also spotted sitting next to William in a chauffeur-driven car on Monday last week, when he attended the Commonwealth Day service in London and she was driven to a private appointment.
A change to the biographies of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of York on The Royal Family website was also disclosed yesterday.
It has been reported that the changes, which included giving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle one joint biography page, were part of a routine content update.
It was also claimed at the weekend that Kate may speak about her health during public engagements which are not expected to resume until after Easter.
The Sunday Times quote a source as saying: ‘They 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. If she was going to do it, that’s how she would do it.’
William and Kate’s children attend Lambrook School in Berkshire, which will start its summer term on April 17. Kate is expected to resume official engagements after this date.
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