UK royal Kate shown in first video since surgery
LONDON—Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, has been shown looking fit and healthy in the first video taken of her since she underwent surgery two months ago in footage published by the Sun newspaper on its website on Monday.
Kate, 42, spent two weeks in hospital in January after having what her office said was successful, planned surgery for a noncancerous but unspecified condition.
Other than a couple of blurry pictures, she has not been seen in public since appearing with the other members of the royal family on Christmas Day, and in recent weeks social media has been awash with speculation about her health, generating global headlines and rumors.
In the video, which the Sun said was filmed on Saturday, a smiling Kate is seen walking and carrying shopping bags alongside her husband, heir to the throne Prince William, at a farm shop in Windsor, near to their home.
“Great to see you Kate,” said The Sun on Monday evening, alongside the images of the princess wearing leggings and a black top.
The Sun—a usually proroyal family publication—said that experts had decried the video as a “perfect answer to trolls.”
It said that William, the heir to the throne, and Kate were also present at a sports event on Sunday in which their three children—George, Charlotte and Louis—took part.
‘PR disaster’
Another newspaper that is often supportive of the royals, The Daily Mail, lauded an “image that will silence the conspiracy theorists.”
The image “will reassure fans she is making a good recovery from her abdominal surgery,” added the Mail, which last week described an edited photograph fiasco as a “PR disaster.”
“I didn’t feel like they were hiding who they were. But they didn’t quite know how people would react because there has been this buildup about their whereabouts and I got the sense they just wanted to be swift in there,” Nelson Silva, 40, who took the video told the Sun.
Back after Easter
The couple’s office Kensington Palace had no comment on the video. Her spokesperson has said Kate was recovering well but was not expected to return to official duties until after Easter which falls on March 31.
Her office has also previously asked the media to respect the princess’ privacy, and said it would only provide information when there were significant updates.
The video comes after Kate apologized for causing confusion by editing a photo of her and the couple’s three children. —reports from REUTERS, AFP
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