In her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton said on Friday she is “making good progress” in her treatment and will attend King Charles III's ceremonial birthday parade on Saturday.
The 42-year-old's disappearance from public life has kept social media buzzing over her well-being. In March, Kate Middleton announced that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” Kate said in a statement released on Friday along with a picture of her posing in a garden, adding that she faces “a few more months” of treatment.
“I'm looking forward to attending The King's Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet,” Kate said in the social media post on Friday, June 14, shared on the official X account of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
Kate's Latest Pic Makes Netizen Suspicious Again
Kate Middleton's absence from the public eye since she underwent surgery in January sparked a social media wave of speculation, which escalated following Kensington Palace’s decision to publish an edited family photograph on UK Mother’s Day in March this year.
The speculation around Kate's wellbeing escalated when popular English broadcaster Piers Morgan claimed to have captured the Princess of Wales on a "shopping trip", photos of which social media users rejected to be of Kate Middleton.
Now again, social media users have turned on their detected mode and dissected the photo posted by the Royal Family of Kate Middleton. Some users claim that the image is photoshopped, pointing to how "unnatural it looks".
"This is proven a fake AI. Word is she will be a hologram or face completely obscured. So many issues with photo. This is not a pic of someone going thru chemo. I’ve worked in clinic & hosp w/chemo pts.This isn’t chemo patient," one user wrote on X.
Another post on X shared a screenshot of 99 per cent AI (artificial intelligence) detection in Kate Middleton's recent picture.
"Isn't it strange how #KateMiddleton hasn't worn any new clothes since 2023? #FOKolonelKate," another post read.
UK PM Rishi Sunak Reacts To Kate's Health Update
Even though the announcement is a significant milestone, it does not mark a return to full-time public duties for Kate.
For Trooping the Colour, also known as the King's Birthday Parade, Kate is expected to travel in a horse-drawn carriage from Buckingham Palace with the couple's children — Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 9; and Prince Louis, who is 6 — before watching the ceremony from a building beside the parade ground. She may also join other royals for a traditional Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the princess' statement was “wonderful news".
“I thought it was brave, I thought it was honest and I'm sure it will bring an enormous amount of comfort to so many other people who are grappling with similar health challenges,” Sunak said at the G7 summit in Italy.
Kate's cancer announcement in March came after speculation ran wild on social media about her well being and absence from public view. She has revealed few details about her illness, which was discovered after what she described as major abdominal surgery in January.
In a March video message, Kate said the diagnosis had come as “a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family”.
