At last! After weeks of growing speculation about the health of the Princess of Wales, a sign that she is, if not quite ready to go back to her royal duties, at the very least truly on the mend.
In fact, I would venture to say she looks more than just on the mend – she’s positively blooming, all smiles for a characteristically stylish Mother’s Day snap with her three children.
You have to hand it to her also for slipping into a pair of skinny jeans for the occasion – quite a feat when you’re recovering from a major operation. And very her.
I note also that she is not wearing her wedding or engagement ring. No doubt she was required to take them off for the operation and kept them off for medical reasons. Or maybe she’s lost a bit of weight, as many do after surgery, and doesn’t want to risk them slipping off her finger and losing them. Either way, let’s hope they are somewhere safe.
But it’s great to see her looking so well, not least because its the perfect antidote to all those speculative and frankly absurd conspiracy theories doing the rounds on social media – some of which are really quite unpleasant.
Kate is positively blooming, all smiles for a characteristically stylish Mother’s Day snap with her three children
It’s also the perfect response to that highly intrusive paparazzo shot taken of her supposedly on the school run with her mother last week (which the British Press, by the way, quite rightly wouldn’t touch with a barge pole).
However famous someone is, they should be entitled to a modicum of privacy when recovering from a nasty operation, and being ‘papped’ like that when you’re not feeling your best is very unpleasant.
It perhaps hasn’t helped that the Palace have not managed her convalescence especially well, in particular that mix-up the other week with the Ministry of Defence, who released a statement saying the princess would be attending Trooping the Colour in June, only to find themselves slapped down by Kensington Palace.
And there was that weird incident when Prince William cancelled his attendance at his godfather King Constantine of Greece’s memorial service at Windsor at the last minute and with no explanation, creating a vacuum which immediately filled up on social media with crazy conspiracy theories.
Annoying as it must be for the prince, he really must understand that he can’t just do things like that, and not expect a reaction.
Truth is, I’m not sure either of them realise quite how central to the Royal Family they are now, following the death of the Queen and at a time when the King is undergoing treatment for cancer. His Majesty is by all accounts doing extremely well – indeed, I am told he is in high spirits. Still, inevitably the baton passes, however temporarily, to his son.
And despite the best efforts of the Montecito moaners Harry and Meghan to cast the Princess of Wales in a negative light, the vast majority of British people view her with great affection, as one of the most exemplary members of the Royal Family, a woman who combines glamour and duty in a seemingly effortless way and who has proved an invaluable support to her husband.
The nation is deeply invested in her, and in William, and as a result we care deeply about her wellbeing. It’s good to see her smiling face, and we wish her all the best with the rest of her recovery.
