KATE MIDDLETON HAS been photographed for the first time since undergoing a medical procedure in January.

Entertainment outlet TMZ yesterday published a photo of Middleton, who was sitting in the passenger seat of a car being driven by her mother Carole near Windsor Castle. 

Middleton was wearing sunglasses and the photo in question is quite grainy. 

#KateMiddleton has surfaced for the first time since her hospitalization earlier this year that sidelined her for a good while.

See more 👉 https://t.co/OD6OfFQ09j pic.twitter.com/ZiBAXkp2Bq

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 5, 2024

However, none of the UK’s major newspapers appear to have published the photo today. 

ITV News Royal Correspondent Chris Ship said in a post on X that the broadcaster was not publishing the photos “out of respect for her privacy”. 

“There are pap picture of the Princess of Wales. We are not running them out of respect for her privacy whilst she recovers from her operation in the timescale we were given for it,” Ship wrote. 

“As far as I know, no other UK broadcaster or newspaper has published the photos either.” 

It had been announced on 16 January that Middleton was undergoing abdominal surgery at the London Clinic.

At the time, a spokesperson for Kensington Palace further specified that the surgery was not cancer-related. Further details pertaining to the purpose of the surgery, however, have been withheld from the public at large both in the immediate aftermath of the surgery and the weeks since. 

Kensington Palace said at the time that Middleton was likely to spend between two and three months recuperating and is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter based on current medical advice.

The Palace announced on 29 January that Middleton had left hospital and returned to her home in Windsor. 

The publication of the photo comes as social media speculation concerning her absense from public life has been rife in recent weeks. 

International news outlets been reporting on Middleton’s absence in the last couple of weeks, such as this Newsweek headline which refers to her as “missing”. Other major entertainment outlets such as Vanity Fair and Cosmpolitan have also written about Middleton’s absence.

Kensington Palace, the royal residence where Middleton lives, last Tuesday issued a statement saying that Middleton “continues to be doing well,” though no further details were provided.

With reporting by Carl Kinsella