Kate Middleton was seen in public for the first time since family photograph scandal as she was spotted leaving Windsor Castle with Prince William.
Hours after apologizing for “any confusion” around her Mother’s Day photo the Prince and Princess of Wales were photographed on Monday driving from Windsor Castle in an image published by the Daily Mail.
The photo showed the couple sitting in the backseat of a car, where Prince William glanced down and Princess Kate Middleton looked out the window.
Prince William stepped out on Monday with members of the royal family for the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey in London, which his wife was not expected to attend as the Princess of Wales postponed public duties during her private recovery following abdominal surgery.
The sighting of Princess Kate with her husband came after trouble erupted around the first official picture of her since the surgery took place on January 16.
On Monday morning, Princess Kate released a surprise statement after multiple global photo agencies including the Associated Press, Getty Images and Reuters pulled the photo that the palace shared on Sunday of Princess Kate with her three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The shot was taken by Prince William last week in Windsor, where the Wales family lives, and shared on social media in honor of Mother’s Day in the U.K.
However, speculation surfaced as some wondered if the picture was edited due to several inconsistencies such as the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand, Prince Louis’ sweater pattern, and blurring around Princess Kate’s hair, among other hiccups.
Princess Kate personally apologized in a statement shared online.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” the Princess of Wales wrote in a post shared on social media.
She signed the note “C,” shorthand for Catherine, indicating the personal nature of the message.
Last week, she was seen for the first time since Kensington Palace announced that she had had surgery.
On March 4, Princess Kate was spotted in a car with her mother, Carole Middleton, in photos obtained by Backgrid.
