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Catherine, Princess of Wales, pictured in 2023, had abdominal surgery in January that kept her out of action for several months.
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London CNN –
Speculation over when Catherine, Princess of Wales will return to official royal duties continues this week after an unlikely source raised expectations: the British Army.
Britain's Ministry of Defense put tickets for its annual Trooping the Color parades on sale on its website on Tuesday.
Trooping the Color is the military spectacle performed by hundreds between Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade every summer.
The public was offered tickets with appearances by 42-year-old Kate and King Charles III. applied on June 8th and 15th respectively. Royal watchers are pleased with the confirmation of the royals' first public appearances since their health crisis, followed by a wave of worry that the princess' return would take so long.
However, the Army apparently did not receive approval from Kensington Palace for Kate's appearance.
Aaron Chown/AFP/Getty Images
Charles III welcomes Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt in the private audience hall of Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday.
The palace, which manages the princess's diary, had not yet confirmed whether she would check the Irish Guards. The regiment is marching in its flag and displaying its regimental flags this year, and it looks like the Army was quick to assume that Kate would be attending in her honorary capacity as Colonel of the Irish Guards.
The uncertainty continued for hours until the claim was removed from the Army's website on Tuesday evening. The king's presence at the June 15 event – also known as the Sovereign's Birthday Parade – will continue to be listed on the website, where the public can take part in an online vote for tickets.
Both royals have temporarily suspended their public appearances. Kate is out of action until after Easter, while Charles is in retreat as he undergoes cancer treatment. The King continues his constitutional duties and was pictured this week with Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt at Buckingham Palace ahead of the British government's budget statement on Wednesday.
Amid a flurry of conspiracy theories on social media, Kensington Palace reiterated last week that it had “clarified the timeline for the Princess's recovery in January” and that “these guidelines apply.” Separately, a royal source had told CNN that it had ” continues to go well.”
The public also got to see Kate for the first time since her surgery in January after she was spotted in Windsor, just outside London. this week.
The princess wore dark sunglasses and sat in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by her mother Carole Middleton.
CNN has decided not to release the paparazzi shot when it began circulating on social media on Monday. The photo does not appear to have been used by any British media outlet.
There were no instructions from the palace asking the media to avoid the photo. CNN decided against publishing it on the grounds that it may have been filmed on private property, potentially amounting to an invasion of privacy unbalanced by any other newsworthy value. (In the UK, courts have ruled that a breach of data protection law occurs when a person has a “reasonable expectation of privacy.”)
The other consideration is that while we know Kate's surgery was not cancer-related, we don't know how serious her condition is or what stage of recovery she is at.
However, the existence of the photo has put to rest some of the wilder rumors and conspiracy theories that have recently circulated on social media about the princess' health and whereabouts.
The palace is facing increasing public pressure to reveal more information about the future queen but has taken a firm line on protecting her privacy. For the family, how much of their individual freedoms they should give up in the public interest is a deeply personal question.