London — British tabloids reported Sunday that Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was spotted in public for the first time since she disappeared more than two months ago for what Kensington Palace said was an unspecified abdominal surgery and recovery. The unconfirmed sighting comes amid ongoing controversy over Kate's wellbeing and whereabouts.
The Sun tabloid newspaper said Kate was seen at a farm shop near her family's home in Windsor, west of London, on Saturday, quoting onlookers as saying she appeared "happy, relaxed and healthy."
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No photos or video clips were published of the royal couple in either scenario.
Speculation over Kate's health persists
In January, Kensington Palace said Kate would be undergoing planned abdominal surgery and taking time to recover in private. It said there would be no updates on her health as she recuperated, but then on Britain's Mother's Day in March, the couple released an image of Kate and her children that had clearly been doctored.
Following a controversial incident involving a photo of Princess Kate, international photo agencies made a bold move by pulling the image from their platforms. Some agencies went as far as removing Kensington Palace from their list of trusted sources. In response to the backlash, Kate admitted to "editing" the photo in a subsequent social media post. However, Kensington Palace announced that they would not be releasing any further statements despite numerous demands for an original image.
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"No media operation is without flaws," remarked Julian Payne, a crisis public relations expert with past experience as a spokesperson for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. In an interview with CBS News, Payne acknowledged that mistakes are inevitable in such situations. "Of course mistakes get made," he added.
Despite the scrutiny and criticism surrounding the Princess Kate photo scandal, Payne expressed his belief that the incident is unlikely to prompt significant changes in how the palace manages updates on her well-being.
"This is a Mother's Day image. It was taken by the Prince of Wales, that was then edited by the Princess of Wales and then given to her press team. It's not surprising that the team simply said, 'Thank you very much,' and shared that photo," Payne said. "I think that the media operation were very clear that the Princess of Wales was not going to provide a running commentary on her health. She's cleared up that one issue around the photograph. Now, it's for other people to decide whether that's enough information, but it is not, because the institution is sitting there not knowing what to do. You talk to those people who are doing those jobs; They have taken a position. They're holding that position."
"It's the institution where the focus should be"
While the public may view members of the royal family like Hollywood celebrities, Payne said the royals feel very differently about their roles, and this affects how they choose to share information about their lives with the public.
"When we think about 'Hollywood celebrities', they understand that they are the brands. They need the media attention in order to be as successful as they can be," Payne told CBS News. "That doesn't translate into the royal family, where their view as the individual members of the family is: It's the institution where the focus should be. They contribute to that work, but they should also be able to protect a little bit of their own private lives at the end of the day as well."
Payne said rather than responding to questions about Kate's health, her team at Kensington Palace will most likely hold their course and refuse to provide any updates until she resumes her public duties.
Then, "people will begin to replace what we have now, which is a huge amount of speculation, with the reality of a working Princess of Wales once more," Payne said.
