Kate Middleton has been photographed strolling around a farm shop with her husband Prince William, marking the princess’ first appearance in public since her abdominal surgery. 

A photo taken by a member of the public over the weekend shows the Prince and Princess of Wales visiting the Windsor Farm Shop, a short distance away from their home in Berkshire, reports the Daily Mail. 

Dressed casually, Kate appears relaxed and happy carrying a shopping bag and chatting with her husband as the couple leave the shop together and return to their car, as seen in this image shared by The Sun. 

It was first reported yesterday that Kate had been spotted out and about in public for the first time since Christmas on a visit to a farm shop over the weekend. 

The Princess, 42, also watched her children play sports with their friends on Sunday, according to The Sun. 

One person told the paper Kate seemed “happy, relaxed and healthy”; a claim that, if correct, should quell concerns about the state of her health after she underwent major abdominal surgery two months ago. 

After she spent some time watching the children playing sports, it was reported onlookers saw her stop at her favourite farm shop, located a short distance from the royal couple’s home, Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor. 

The trip to the shops and sports grounds marks the first time Kate has been seen since her surgery. The move could be a precursor to her return to the public eye, following two months of speculation about her whereabouts. 

The Princess of Wales was seen last week looking out the window of a car with Prince William as they left Windsor for a whirlwind trip to London. Before that, she was seen doing a school run with her mother, Carole Middleton. 

The past week has been a turbulent time for the Wales, who were caught in a blunder after the mother-of-three released a photo with her children on Mother’s Day in the UK. 

Soon after it was uploaded to the family’s socials, alterations were found to have been made to the photo, leading major news agencies such as Reuters, Getty, and Associated Press to effectively “kill” the use of the photo. 

“At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image,” the Associated Press said in its kill notice. The scandal (and the subsequent lack of communication from the royal’s PR team) led public interest in Kate’s whereabouts to explode into a narrative driven by conspiracy theories and guessing games.