QUALITY Street is making a permanent change to two flavors in its iconic chocolate cubes.

The treats are a favorite among the British, so any change is sure to please and disappoint some fans.

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In October, Quality Street changed the shape of both The Purple One and Orange Crunch candies.

Now Nestle has confirmed that the move will be permanent and that shoppers will now see them in tubs and cartons of chocolate milk.

shapeshifter

It means both flavors will be in the form of the Caramel Swirl – another popular choice for Quality Street fans.

The chocolate has a more round shape and functions a swirled pattern on top.

The Orange Crunch has also permanently switched from foil packaging to paper packaging.

But don’t worry, the recipe for the chocolate milk has not changed.

Both treats are still in the purple or orange packaging, so choc fans can tell which is which.

They won’t replace the caramel crunch, so if that’s your favorite, don’t worry.

The price of tubs containing the newly formed candies will remain the same.

‘Beloved sweets’

It comes after a successful trial in late 2023, which saw The Purple One released in a small number of The Purple One Bags.

Some chocolate fans may have also noticed the new Orange Crunch in a limited number of tubs, boxes and tins in the run-up to Christmas.

Jemma Handley, Senior Brand Manager for Quality Street, said: “Following a successful trial at Christmas, we will be rolling out new shapes for two of our much-loved sweets on a permanent basis.

“We know how iconic Quality Street sweets are and we’ve put a lot of care and attention into making sure they’re the same great-tasting The Purple One and Orange Crunch that people know and love in their iconic colored wrappers.”

The plot chickens…

This year, Nestle is also venturing into Easter and offering its Quality Street Golden Collection Incredible Egg.

An eagle-eyed shopper spotted it in B&M and posted it on social media, with one user saying: “I know which egg I want!”

The egg combines fudge and caramel pieces in a milk chocolate caramel flavor shell.

Plus, you can also get a pack of Quality Street caramels, fudge and toffees.

The Quality Street egg costs £12 in B&M, but it’s not listed online so you’ll have to head to the shops.

It follows an eventful Christmas for chocolate milk fans.

After a successful trial at Christmas, we are permanently rolling out new molds for two of our beloved sweets

Jemma HandleySenior Brand Manager for Quality Street

John Lewis brought back its pick ‘n’ mix stands, much to the delight of shoppers.

In addition, Nestle launched a new chocolate bar that combines two iconic Quality Street flavors: the Purple One and the Green Triangle.

The chocolatier also revealed that the Coffee Creme flavor made a welcome return at Christmas.

The popular brand will ditch its iconic glossy wrapping paper in 2022 in a move to become more eco-friendly.

What other foods are on the shelves?

In addition to the permanent change to Quality Street chocolate milk, there are still a number of food items on the shelves.

Australian favourites

An iconic chocolate biscuit branded “Aussie gold” has been launched in British supermarkets for the first time.

Chocolate fans are rejoicing because Tim Tams are finally on sale nationwide.

It’s not the first time British consumers have loved Australian snacks they’ve seen on the shelves.

In November they went all out on a Cadbury selection box full of Australian chocolate favorites not normally available in the UK.

They include Dairy Milk white chocolate Freddos, Scorched Peanut Bars, Snickers Butterscotch, Caramilk Twirls and regular Dairy Milk milk chocolate bars.

B&M bargains

Earlier this year, others shouted “It’s a party in my mouth” when B&M rolled out a new M&M flavor normally only seen in the land below.

The retailer is stocking a Mocha Mudcake version of the classic snack after launching it in July last year.

Now the quirky flavor has made its way to B&M, and shoppers are keen to take advantage of it.

Instagram page Newfoodfindsuk posted a photo of the 130 gram bag of candy online and almost 150 people liked the post.

Cadbury Twirl Bites in Caramilk and Strawberry were also launched last year.

Eagle-eyed foodies spotted the treats, titled “Aus Twirl” in B&M.

‘Nostaglic’ snacks

Retro food fans will also be happy to know that some of their favorite “nostalgic” snacks are back on the shelves.

Most people have a favorite chocolate bar or crunchy flavor they’d like to see again – and we can now reveal a few that do.

Aldi made biscuit lovers’ dreams come true when it revealed it would be bringing back the much-loved Elkes Sports Shortcake biscuits.

Cadbury’s iconic gold coins returned to supermarket shelves last September.

Nestle brought back a Quality Street fan favorite for Christmas last year.

The Hazelnut KitKat Chunky is back on the shelves after three years and shoppers can’t get enough of it.

More Moorish Morrisons

In addition, Morrisons began stocking Marmite crisps in February this year, after Walkers announced it would be discontinuing the flavour.

Cookie lovers rejoiced at the return of the McVities white chocolate cookie after nearly 20 years.

The tea break favorite was last on shelves in 2005 as a limited edition and made its return in July last year.

Elsewhere, Happy Faces were axed around 2015 and spotted back on shelves last year.

Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing squeezeteam@thesun.co.uk.

Moreover, you can join us Sun Money chats and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.

History was made this week after the first person in England and Wales was convicted of a cyberflashing offence – after he sent a picture of his genitals to a 15 year old girl.

Millions of women will have breathed a sigh of relief that the problem is finally being taken seriously, after navigating the horror of being cyber-flashed in public, on dating apps and even from romantic interests.

Women don’t have to venture far be confronted with inappropriate sexual imagery, as women have told FEMAIL how they’ve been sent pictures from the bathroom of busy clubs, closely-cropped snaps on a train and even, on Christmas Day, a picture of a penis covered in tinsel. 

The phenomenon is nothing new, one woman, now in her late 30s, recalled to FEMAIL how she woke up after a night out, in the early days of camera phones,  to find someone had sent her a picture of their penis. 

Speaking to FEMAIL, another victim entailed how bizarrely common it is to receive explicit imagery from strangers – they have been AirDropped on a tube station, messaged in over Instagram, and are even at times accompanied by videos.

Others revealed men sent them mirror selfies ‘bent over to see their anus’ , while another man inadvertently revealed himself as a catfish with an unsolicited sexual picture.

Karen Whybro, 45, from Essex recounted one particularly harrowing incident which she says left her feeling ‘intimated’.

‘Personally, I’ve experienced cyberflashing on multiple occasions by various methods, including through direct messaging on Instagram, and via AirDrop,’ she said.

‘The AirDrop incident was probably the most intimidating for me as I was in a tube carriage and knew the person was physically close enough to be able to access my phone. I had no idea what he would do next.’

Karen, who works as a Women’s Safety Consultant, revealed that it’s ‘exceptionally common’ for women to endure such violations.

‘One recent stat showed that something like 80 per cent of 12-18 year old girls had received explicit images and I think the estimate of 50 per cent of millennial women is very, very low,’ she added.

‘Almost every women I speak to has experience of this.’ 

Other recipients of unsolicited so-called ‘d**k pics’ include a divorced mother, and women dipping their toes into dating online after painful break ups.

A mother-of-three, who recently turned 40, explained: ‘After a painful separation from the father of my child, I was encouraged to take a dive into the world of app dating. 

‘With great trepidation I decided “what the heck” and began my swiping journey. 

‘Needless to say it was a mixed bag. Two incidents of note involved being sent an excited penis with the days paper propped behind as proof of the “live” nature of the picture. 

‘Another unasked for picture came via Tinder from “Jake”, an all-American looking lawyer according to his profile picture, but who was actually an aged Asian man judging by the aesthetics of his penis.’

One woman, who is now in her late 30s, recalls getting one in the mid 2000s on an early camera phone. 

She remembers waking up one morning after a night out to find an unsolicited image on her phone from an unknown number.

‘It was from someone I had been talking to the night before, seemed like a totally normal, if somewhat, shy bloke. 

‘I had given him my number as I thought he seemed like a genuine sweet man. Next morning I woke up to that. 

‘No “hello”. nothing. Just a closely cropped, grim, red picture of his penis. I was staying at my friend’s house and we laughed it off at the time. 

‘It was just part of life then. People did it all the time and it was kind of treated like a joke – a “why the f*** would anyone think I would want to receive a faceless, context-free phallus”. 

‘In what world has this ever worked out for anyone? What woman ever receives one and thinks: “Oooh lovely, yes, let’s meet up.””

Another victim recalls: ‘I was in my late 30s out with colleagues for a birthday at a bar round the corner from work. 

‘Everyone was drinking and dancing and the place was packed with lots of people not just our small group. It was a place that had three floors. 

‘Anyway I got separated from my friends so fished my phone from my bag to give one a call and as I did a picture flashed up. 

‘A full d*** pic but also included the flooring from the bathrooms of the pub I was in. And it wasn’t send via text – I had left my Bluetooth on accidentally and it was airdropped to me. 

‘I have no idea by who but it was clear they were nearby and had literally just dropped their pants to do this. 

‘It absolutely freaked me out and I went home. It was hard not to see that as an aggressive move and pretty threatening. Knowing the person was nearby but not having a clue who it was.’

She added: ‘Ones from people I was dating I was just “urgh this isn’t the turn on you think it is”. But anonymous dick pics it’s just – what’s your end game here? Are you thinking there’s a chance I’m going to respond wanting a hook up? It’s just a quite threatening.’

Another added: ‘Heads up men (excuse the pun). On the whole, women are not turned on, threatened, or impressed by the sight of your comically framed penis. They are amused. And then they show their friends. And then they all laugh at you. ‘ 

Other women’s experiences have even been comical.

One woman, a playwright and poet and widowed mother-of-one, said: ‘The worst wasn’t a d*** pic to be honest. I was once sent a picture of a man bending over looking into the mirror so I could see his anus.

‘It was quite a thing when Snapchat was new , I remember deleting Snapchat for that main reason, men flashing up their c***s.

‘I once had a guy send me a photo of him half-dressed, leg cocked up on a chair with tinsel round his penis saying ‘Happy Christmas’. Men are bizarre.’

‘It was quite a thing when Snapchat was new , I remember deleting Snapchat for that main reason, men flashing up their c***s.

‘I once had a guy send me a photo of him half-dressed, leg cocked up on a chair with tinsel round his penis saying ‘Happy Christmas’. Men are bizarre.’

Karen, who works in Women’s Safety, explained that receiving the images makes her feel both ‘furious’ and ‘violated’. 

‘The sheer entitlement of a man to be able to invade my privacy, to cause such shock and upset to someone is sickening,’ Karen explained.

‘It also questions my own safety both online and in the physical world and makes me worry what could happen if this escalates.

‘It has marginalised by own use of the internet and my trust in those around me.’

When it comes to the conviction, she says the man being jailed has sent a ‘strong message’. 

‘But it was an straightforward case where the offender was already on the sex offender register and pleaded guilty,’ she said.

‘The vast majority of cyberflashing cases will not be so easy to prosecute do to the requirement to prove an intent to cause distress.

‘I would love this law to be strengthened by making it a consent-based offence.’

Earlier this week, cyberflashing victim and campaigner Sophie Gallagher – who was sent 120 images of male genitalia via AirDrop while she was on the tube – spoke to Good Morning Britain about how women are expected to simply put up with the issue.

‘I didn’t know who it was from because it’s anonymous… all you know is they’re within 30ft because the function has a 30ft sort of radius so I knew it was someone nearby,’ she said.

‘Ironically the tube carriage is also about 30ft but you don’t know who it is. I felt angry, I obviously felt quite scared, I didn’t know if he was going to escalate it to something physical, will he follow me off the tube, does he know it’s me, is he planning to escalate this in some way?’

She agreed with presenter Martin Lewis that enduring unsolicited sexual images is seen as ‘socially acceptable’ – and something women simply have to go through.

‘When it’s this commonplace I do think it’s seen as like a tax that women pay for existing online.

MailOnline has reached out to Apple and Meta for comment. 

Apple’s website says that viewers are able to adjust AirDrop settings so that users can choose who can see their device and send them content – and also choose to receive warnings about photos or videos which may contain nudity before opening them.

 It comes as a paedophile who sent a picture of his genitals to a 15-year-old girl has become the first person in England and Wales to be jailed for a cyber-flashing offence.

Nicholas Hawkes, who was already a convicted sex offender, sent unsolicited sexual photos to the girl and another woman on February 9, who reported him to police the same day after taking screenshots.

The 39-year-old appeared at Southend Magistrates Court just three days later where he admitted two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation.

This week, he was jailed for 66 weeks in the first case of its kind in England and Wales.

The offence of cyberflashing only came into force on January 31 as part of the Online Safety Act and carries a maximum two-year jail term.

The court heard the girl had been left ‘overwhelmed and crying’ by the experience.

Prosecuting, David Barr said the offences ‘fall as part of an established pattern of behaviour of the defendant’.

The court heard Hawkes’ offending has been exclusively sexual in nature and started after he was kidnapped, stabbed and held at a £5,000 ransom demanded from his father when he was 31 years old.

Barry Gilbert, defending, argued Hawkes does not receive sexual gratification from his offending and instead ‘does it to create chaos when he’s under personal pressure’ as a result of his PTSD following the attack.

However, Judge Samantha Leigh rejected the argument that he did not receive sexual gratification and said ‘you clearly are deeply disturbed and have a warped view of yourself and your sexual desires’.

She added: ‘There is a duty that I have that is a duty to protect, there is only one sentence for this set of offending – it clearly crosses the custody threshold.’

Despite his previous offending, Hawkes has reportedly not received any treatment.

Though he was offered 12 appointments with a psychiatrist, he never received them as the waiting list was too long, the court heard.

Hawkes admitted during an earlier hearing at Southend Magistrates’ Court to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation.

He was jailed for 66 weeks at Southend Crown Court after being convicted under the act. 

He must also comply with a 10-year restraining order and will be subject to a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. 

Campaigners welcomed the sentence, saying it sent out an important message to men and boys who send unsolicited intimate photos.

Professor Clare McGlynn, an expert in sexual violence and online abuse at the University of Durham’s law department, said: ‘It’s a very significant day because today we see an abusive man being held to account for actions that are often trivialised and reduced to banter.

‘It’s sending a clear message to men and boys that this type of behaviour is wrong and it could be a criminal offence and importantly, to women and girls, who will no longer have to put up with this and they can take action and report it to police.’

But she added the law contained a loophole as the prosecution must prove the offensive image was sent with an intent to cause distress or for the purpose of sexual gratification while being reckless about causing offence.

‘These are thresholds that are a challenge to evidence and unfortunately these thresholds were included in the legislation,’ she told Radio 4’s Today programme.

‘Myself and others wanted an offence that was more straightforward and just based on consent but this is the legislation we have at the moment.’

Zoe Billingham, a former Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue, said the prevalence of cyberflashing was ‘eye-watering’.

She added: ‘It’s a really important day. It’s a demonstration of the state’s intent to tackle violence against women and girls and to take crime against them seriously.’

The NSPCC said: ‘The sentencing of Hawkes today shows how a part of the new Online Safety Act is working to tackle online sexual abuse experienced by women and girls.

‘No one should have to receive unwanted sexual images online. Cyberflashing is a serious crime and it is important cases like these are taken forward by law enforcement.’

The explosion in the use of social media and direct messaging, particularly among children, has led to sickening levels of unsolicited perverted images being seen.

A third of women have been victims of cyberflashing, according to a report from women’s social network Communia. This rises to 37 per cent among 16 to 34-year-olds.

The Angiolini Inquiry report into Wayne Couzens, the police officer who murdered Sarah Everard after no action was taken for a series of flashing offences, emphasised that police must take cyberflashing seriously.

Hawkes sent the photos from his father’s phone which he borrowed after saying he needed it to call probation.

He went into another room and sent an explicit image to the woman, who is in her 60s. Minutes later he sent another to the girl.

Both victims, who have an automatic right to anonymity, took screenshots and the woman reported the incidents to Essex Police.

Hawkes was already on the sex offenders register until November 2033 after last year being convicted of sexual activity with a child under 16 years old and exposure, for which he also received a community order. 

Prince William found out his wife Kate had cancer before he pulled out of attending King Constantine of Greece’s memorial service.

The Prince of Wales’s absence from the St George’s Chapel event at Windsor Castle on February 27 had raised eyebrows, but tonight’s revelation about the princess’s health has shed new light on why he stayed away.

Kate had only just been diagnosed with cancer ahead of beginning chemotherapy, it was revealed tonight – after Buckingham Palace had initially said the previous month her condition was non-cancerous.

Royal aides are now expected to rally around William all the more as he steps back from frontline duties and looks after the couple’s children as his wife recuperates.

The prince has already been adjusting his royal duties to devote even more time to his family after Kate was first admitted to the London Clinic in January.

The couple have both been dedicated to doing their fair share of the school run each morning and afternoon since their three children began attending £24,000-a-year Lambrook School near Ascot in Berkshire in September 2022.

The co-ed institution is not far from the family’s Frogmore Cottage home on the Windsor estate – and is also convenient for visits by the princess’s parents.

Carole and Michael Middleton live just 33 miles away in Bucklebury, Berkshire, and the strong mother-daughter bond has been a key feature of troubled recent months.

Kate’s siblings Pippa, 40, and James, 36, are also close at hand in Bucklebury. 

William’s decision not to attend the memorial service for King Constantine came as a surprise at the time, with the reason described as ‘personal reasons’.

Also missing was his father King Charles, himself receiving treatment for cancer.

Queen Camilla was instead the most senior member of the Royal Family in attendance, with William’s uncle Prince Andrew also enjoying a prominent role as he led fellow royals on foot to the service.

Constantine was the godfather of William, who is said to have called the Greek royal family to apologise for not being there. 

The Prince was due to read from Revelation 21:1-7, a popular reading for funerals that begins ‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth’.

He had cleared his diary of official duties to help support Kate’s recovery, although did visit a homelessness charity’s base in Sheffield on Tuesday this week.

The couple were seen being driven from Windsor on March 11, although only William attended that afternoon’s Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in central London while Kate continued on to a private appointment elsewhere.

Their children Prince George, 10, eight-year-old Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, five, all attend Lambrook School which starts its summer term on April 17. 

Royal experts have said the parents chose Lambrook because they wanted their children to have a ‘different kind of schooling’ to their own. 

George and Charlotte were previously pupils at Thomas’s Battersea while Louis attended Willcocks Nursery in Kensington, both schools in London.

William and Kate were pictured strolling into Lambrook School’s grounds hand-in-hand with their children for their first day there in September 2022.

They are believed to have been sharing ‘school run’ duties but William has now been taking on more responsibilities – as have Kate’s parents Carole, 69, and Michael, 74.

Earlier this month Carole was snapped at the wheel of a car driving her daughter – pictured for the first time in two months – around Windsor Castle.

The photos were published by US gossip website TMZ but not in the UK after Kensington Palace appealed for her to be able to recuperate in private.

Insiders who knew the Middleton children at school have said her family was renowned for ‘doing everything to the very highest of standards’.

A fellow parent told Tatler recently: ‘There were huge picnics on sports days, the smartest tennis rackets — that kind of thing.

‘It made the rest of us all feel rather hopeless. Ultimately, Carole has played a blinder as a mother – not only are all of her children unfairly good-looking, they are also famously charming.

‘Always the first to write a thank-you letter, they dance all night and are still the first up in the morning, plumping cushions and washing up.’

Two years ago, Carole and Michael Middleton made a sombre appearance as they joined senior members of the Royal Family for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s committal service. 

Months later, they were seen in high spirits as they arrived at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III – arriving alongside their children Pippa and James.

Kate’s mother has also always been on hand to support Kate for her annual ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service – a known passion project of the princess’s. 

Other get-togethers have seen the mother and daughter huddled up alongside each other at Royal Ascot – and in summer 2022, Kate was seen blowing her parents a kiss as the family attended Wimbledon.

Kate, William and their children have their main home as four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor grounds in Berkshire, with no live-in staff although they do have a nanny, housekeeper and security team living nearby.

The Grade II listed property is owned by the Crown Estate and the couple are said to be paying ‘market rent’.

Lambrook School has just 610 boys and girls aged three to 13 and is mixed so all three children can attend together, cutting down on school runs and security teams.

It offers boarding but George, Charlotte and Louis have all been day pupils there.

The Good Schools Guide says the prep school has a ‘heart of gold’ and offers pupils ‘total freedom to explore, provided you’ve got your wellies on’.

It boasts of ‘first-class teaching and superb facilities’ including a 25-metre swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, an Astroturf, squash court and a new £6million Queen’s Building for ICT and academic learning.

The prospectus quotes one parent calling it ‘the most magical place for our children to spend time, and they can often be seen rosy-cheeked and perfecting handstands, throwing balls or racing to the three stumps’.

School sources have described William and Kate as being ‘like a normal mum and dad’ who throw themselves into events at Lambrook. 

Hello! magazine reported the royal couple take part in all the important school activities, including ‘queueing for the tombola’ in a recent fundraising drive.

The future King and Queen are described as discreetly slipping into events such as carol concerts, fitting occasions around their busy schedules.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s supporter Christopher Bouzy has doubled down on a bizarre conspiracy theory about the Princess of Wales, claiming that she hasn’t been seen in public since Christmas Day.

The Tech CEO, 48, from New York, who appeared in the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary, took to X, formerly Twitter, to share his doubts about the recent sighting of Kate Middleton and Prince William shopping at a farm shop in Windsor.

‘Serious question: Has any reporter taken the time to go to Windsor Farm and ask the staff if William and Kate were there over the weekend? Besides the man who was paid for the video, has anyone else gone on the record about seeing William and Kate at the farm?,’ he wrote.

He added in a second tweet: ‘So, let me see if I understand this correctly. Kate’s video is one of the biggest stories of 2024, and not a single person who works at the farm/store has gone on the record about seeing William and Kate? So, just some random guy is the primary source of the story? Sounds legit.’

Earlier this week, he shared a compilation of clips of the royal couple walking to compare it to their recent sighting at the Windsor Farm Shop on Saturday. 

He claims the clips show that the video of two people walking in Windsor isn’t the royal couple, joining a chorus of outlandish conspiracy theorists online.

‘I’ve compiled a few older videos of William and Kate walking together, as well as the recent video from Windsor Farm. Take a look and decide for yourself if it’s Kate or not. In my opinion, we still haven’t seen Kate in public,’ he wrote on X.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief when they saw ‘happy, relaxed and healthy’ Kate smiling as she briskly walked away from the store holding onto a full shopping bag on Saturday.

But others on social media have continued to push crazed claims – including that the woman in the video was not the royal but in fact a body double. 

Mr Bouzy appeared in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix doc after his company BotSentinel issued a report saying the couple was on the receiving end of millions of trolls.

But Mr Bouzy, who previously tweeted that he thought that the Prince and Princess of Wales were ageing in ‘banana years’, has been accused of being a troll himself over a series of nasty posts.

In April 2023, he said the portrait released to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday was photoshopped.

The image, which shows the late monarch posing with eight of her 12 great-grandchildren and two of her grandchidren at Balmoral, was taken just weeks before her death by the Princess of Wales.

This week, global picture agency Getty Images said the heartwarming image was ‘digitally enhanced at source’ having undertaken a review following the recent fallout from the Princess of Wales editing a Mother’s Day photo of herself with her three children.

He described the photograph as ‘beautiful’ on X.

Calling on people to ‘stop criticising’ snap, he added: ‘Yes, they Photoshopped it, and so what? It isn’t easy to get the perfect photo with 10 children. It appears they took multiple shots and then edited the photo to make it perfect. I would’ve done the same.’

In a later tweet about the snap, which was shared on the official social media accounts of The Prince and Princess of Wales, he wrote: ‘You can literally see where two sides of the sofa were spliced together, and there are pixels on the face that were not properly edited.

‘As I stated in my original tweet, I don’t see anything wrong with it. But to claim it’s not Photoshopped is false. It’s been edited.’

He also added: ‘Also, the Queen was probably exhausted and didn’t want to sit through a long photoshoot.’

The late monarch appeared in her element with Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, James, Earl of Wessex, Lena Tindall, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Isla Phillips, Prince Louis, Mia Tindall, Lucas Tindall and Savannah Phillips.

Mr Bouzy’s claims come as the shopper who filmed the royal’s first public appearance since undergoing abdominal surgery has slammed cruel conspiracy theory trolls as ‘delusional’.

Nelson Silva, 40, said he saw the Princess of Wales ‘with his own eyes’ on Saturday as she popped down to her local farm shop.

BBC sports reporter Sonja McLaughlan appeared to be amongst those fuelling the bizarre suggestion when she told her followers on X that it was ‘obviously not Kate’ in the clip. In a now deleted tweet, she even suggested the heir to the throne could have been replaced by an actor. 

Speaking for the first time since he encountered the Princess of Wales in the meat section of the farm shop, Mr Silva told the Sun: ‘I’m not so much shocked that these comments have continued, I’m just confused how exactly they can continue.

‘This is a video clearly showing her and William. I saw them with my own eyes. It was a completely relaxed situation.

‘What more do you need to lay off her? I thought after this was released they’d go quiet. But these people are so invested in the drama now.’ 

The father, who ran into the royals around lunchtime on Saturday at the Windsor Farm Shop, believed releasing the footage would put an abrupt end to the wild rumours surrounding Kate’s health but fears it did the opposite.

After the clip emerged people suggested Kate was too tall in the video for it to be her, while another crazy theory claimed the footage had been recorded in December because ‘Christmas decorations’ were in the background.

In under 24 hours the rumours about body doubles gained more than 12 millions views on X and more than 11 million on TikTok. 

The Windsor local said he was ‘shocked’ and ‘confused’ as to why the conspiracy theories have continued. He said he saw the future King and Queen with his own eyes and ‘it was a completely relaxed situation’. 

‘Even famous people are guilty,’ Mr Silva added. ‘People with a large platform online — they can’t admit they are wrong now because they look so delusional.’ 

He called for those pushing claims online to ‘lay off’ the Princess and stop plugging their baseless ‘rumours and lies’.

The father, who lives in the town with his wife and daughter, had recorded the couple to send back to his family Portugal.

He first saw Will and Kate inside the store, where they had been ‘talking to staff and laughing’, before watching them walk back into some fields to head towards their home Adelaide Cottage.

Kate’s weekend appearance marked the first time she had been seen out and about in public since undergoing planned abdominal surgery in January.

Despite Kensington Palace setting out a clear timeline for the Princess’ recovery – with her return to the public spotlight expected after the Easter Holidays conclude – online trolls have sparked bizarre theories. 

Baseless and hurtful conspiracy theories being spread about her online included that she is dead, has been replaced by a body double or the Wales’ marriage is in trouble. 

One royal source told the Telegraph: ‘Finally everyone can calm down’.

Yet BBC freelance reporter Ms McLaughlan came under fire for appearing to fan the flames of conspiracy theorists. 

Ms McLaughlan wrote: ‘Disturbing that newspapers like The Times are reporting this as fact. Headline ‘Kate seen in public for the first time’ when it’s clearly not her. As someone has said. Could be a couple of lookalikes making mischief.’ 

Commenting on a video which compared the Princess in the footage to other past photos of herself, she added: ‘It’s so obviously not Kate. Some newspaper are reporting it as fact. But it’s not her. No conspiracy theorist but all very odd.’

The BBC declined to comment on the matter.

The body double claims led Britain’s ‘most realistic’ Kate Middleton lookalike to shut down the ‘crazy’ conspiracy theories that it is her in the farm shop video instead of the real Princess of Wales. 

Heidi Agan, 43, who has made an income from impersonating the royal for more than a decade, said she ‘100 per cent’ believes it is Kate and William in the footage.

‘There has obviously been some speculation about whether it was Kate and William in that footage and stills,’ she told The Mirror.

‘In fact, my own social media has gone crazy as people think it is me, but I know it is not. I was at work at the time so I know that is not me. I 100 per cent believe that it is Kate Middleton and William in that video.’

‘So she is alive, and we can be sure about it. It has all gone too far now,’ she added.

Now that invitations have been sent out for the wedding of Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor, a society guessing game is developing over whether Harry will appear at the June event.

If he does, it would be the first time he and William have lived under the same roof since their father’s coronation.

Sources report that 33-year-old Grosvenor remains neutral, maintains a good relationship with both and leaves it to them to resolve their family drama.

However, the home team could have an advantage. The Duke is the godfather of Prince George, who could be a page boy on the big day at Chester Cathedral.

Perhaps Harry could replicate his attendance at the Diana Legacy Awards last week when he appeared via video.

After seeing Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins, Rupert Everett developed a childhood obsession.

Dressed in his mother’s clothes, he told other children that he was Julie’s daughter.

“One of the reasons I went to a child psychiatrist was because my parents of other children discovered that I was telling them that I was not my parents’ child.”

Rupert tells podcast Rosebud, adding that he told Julie about his cheating when he was starring with her in Hollywood. ‘She always sent me Christmas cards signed ‘Mummy.’

Confirmed as new presenter on Radio 4’s Today, Emma Barnett once objected to being reminded of the crimes of her father Ian, who was previously jailed for running brothels in Manchester.

“I wanted to say what I wanted to say and move on,” Barnett noted icily in a 2019 interview.

‘I am now in the public eye, but I don’t think this is a question that is necessary, fair or right.’

Interviewer Decca Aitkenhead commented: ‘I’d like to know what Barnett would say to that, if she wasn’t the interviewee but the interviewer.’

The late King’s Speech writer David Seidler had to wait 25 years to write the script after Queen Mother‘s permission.

She replied, “Please, not in my lifetime.”

The memory of these events is still too painful.’ David recalled, “So I waited. But I thought, ‘How much longer? A few years at most?’

It was an older lady. But it was 25 years later, just shy of 102 years, that she left this mortal realm.”

Rupert Oldham-Reid, senior adviser to Rishi Sunak in Downing Street, announces in The Times that he has named his new daughter Antigone Elizabeth Anna… ‘sister of Peregrine Yorck von Wulffen and Otto the dog’.

Does he have a giraffe?

West End star Jodie Prenger repeatedly rehearsed how to address the late queen before meeting her.

“I had such a hard time making sure I spoke properly and said, ‘Hell-aywww Your Majesty,’ and then I finally said, ‘Hi, Your Highness!’ I sounded so Northern I might as well have shaken her hand while holding a patty!’

Prince William’s impact on charities is “very personal” and he often works behind the scenes with homeless people, the CEO of one of the groups he works with has revealed.

Mick Clarke, chief executive of the homeless charity The Passage, said the Prince of Wales, 41, has “the ability to listen, talk and put people at ease.”

Speak with TatlerIn a piece exploring William’s future as king, Mr Clarke explained that the royal family has quietly volunteered for the charity on several occasions.

Other experts also discussed William’s commentary on the conflict in the Middle East and how, like his father, he will continue to “hold the space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.”

The future king, 41, a patron of more than 30 charities, first visited the Passage as a child with his mother Princess Diana – something he says he was ‘deeply moved’ by.

Speaking to Tatler, Mr Clarke said: ‘William’s impact is deeply personal’ […]

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the Prince came to our Resource Center in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

‘He would stay for an hour, helping with serving, washing dishes and talking to people. He ended up staying for two and a quarter minutes, during which time he went from table to table talking to everyone.”

‘William has the ability to listen, talk and put people at ease. During the lockdown of November 2020, he came to help three times.

‘It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying, “I support you; You’re doing a great job.’

In December, William praised the work of The Passage and said he was “deeply moved” when he visited the charity with Princess Diana as a child.

He shared a video explaining the charity’s ‘amazing work’, including ‘life-changing’ work to prevent homelessness and human trafficking, which was posted on X on ICAP’s 31st charity day.

“Having a place to call home is so precious. Every day, the Passage works tirelessly to achieve a society where homelessness does not exist and where everyone has a place to call home,” he said.

Tatler’s article, written by former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, also looks at how William can continue as king.

Speaking to Mr Kerr, The Times Royal Correspondent Valentine Lowe said William is ‘shaping’ the future of the company in a more relaxed way than his father.

‘He [The Prince of Wales] seeks its own way to be recognizable, to benefit everyone, in the context of a centuries-old institution undergoing significant challenges and turmoil, as head of a nation divided by difficult times, conflicts abroad and social and political uncertainty,” he said.

‘Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacred. They are confidantes, as evidenced by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death; they were both at Birkhall with Camilla, discussing funeral arrangements, while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

‘Charles has spent almost sixty years in public life and is the most important statesman of our time, having been in the spotlight even longer than Joe Biden.

But will the so-called ‘call me William’ approach be successful?

The prince has certainly led the way in ditching the stiff upper lip and taking a more practical approach to assignments.

In October he hugged his way through a room of Windrush veterans as he celebrated the Caribbean who helped rebuild post-war Britain – but drew the line at kissing.

The Prince of Wales was mobbed by well-wishers at the Grange Pavilion community center in Cardiff, but cheekily told them: ‘I draw the line at kissing!’

Later, as guests posed for a group photo, William laughed with Kate as they moved to a back row and led the Windrush veterans to the front, but the room erupted when the prince joked: “Who’s pinching my bum?”

Mr Low believes the royal family has put a lot of thought into its ‘call me William’ approach to the throne, wondering whether it would work if ‘the whole point of the royal family is mystical and different’ but he is keen to modernize the throne. monarchy.

It was a difficult start to the year for the future king. His father, King Charles, is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, while his wife, Princess of Wales, is recovering from abdominal surgery.

Kate Middleton has been working from home on an early years project that has been hailed as her ‘life’s work’ as she recovers from abdominal surgery.

The Princess of Wales, 42, launched the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood (RFCEC) Shaping Us project in January last year, aiming to highlight the importance of early childhood development in children.

Kensington Palace has confirmed that Kate will continue to work on the project while she recovers at home; the Center has funded a trial of a baby observation tool for health visitors to monitor young people’s social and emotional development.

The princess personally suggested the instrument could be used in Britain after seeing a similar system during a royal visit to Denmark, reports suggest. This means that she is very involved in the process and its results, which will be published today.

The news that she is being briefed suggests that she could be preparing to return to work as planned; Kensington Palace has insisted since January that she is ‘unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter’.

View the full article in the May issue of Tatler available from Thursday, March 28 via digital download and on newsstands

Conspiracy theorists have taken to social media to cast doubt on video showing the Princess of Wales smiling during a shopping trip over the weekend.

An ‘incredibly happy’ Princess Catherine was seen in public on Saturday as she joined her husband for a trip to their local farm shop in Windsor.

Stills from footage of the visit showed the mother-of-three in good spirits, and appearing healthy and relaxed, as she chatted with Prince William on the return to their car.

The news will have reassured fans of the couple that Kate is recovering well from her abdominal surgery in January, which has left her unable to carry out public engagements.

It comes after wild social media speculation and gossip about Kate’s health and whereabouts, which is understood to have left the couple deeply upset.

However, the furore shows no signs of abating among some, as some cynics took to  social media to denounce the images as fake, accusing them of showing a body double, a different woman or having been altered by AI.

One person calling themselves The Mirror Of Truth on X claimed the person in the photo was not Princess Catherine, but someone else entirely.

They wrote: ‘Take a closer look at the photo and you’ll understand that it’s not Kate, she has completely different cheekbones and a whole face…’

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu said: ‘Wait….who the hell is that with Prince William? Are you all thinking what I’m thinking or do I need to go to Specsavers?’

One user going by the name Jesus Girl Jen added: ‘Omggg. That doesn’t look like either one of them.’

Others cast doubts on the legitimacy of the image in question, with one X user called Dick The Stick writing: ‘I’ve seen clearer photos of UFOs.’

A user called James (UnfilteredTruth) added: ‘AI generated image, and not even a good one. This cover-up gets more embarrassing, and concerning in equal measure.’

Meanwhile, a user called Shield Maiden Io insisted it wasn’t Kate in the photo, writing: ‘That isn’t her. Higher cheek bones, different eyes, different smile, different walk, slimmer build. Carrying bag after abdo surgery. Body double.’

However, there was push back against the doubters from royal fans, who insisted the photo was genuine and was a sign of Kate’s recovery following her surgery. 

Molly Elizabeth wrote: ‘If you really don’t think this is Kate then you need to go to Specsavers … and probably go touch some grass.’

RoyallyBelle said: ‘That’s the Princess of Wales alright! Kate is BACK.’

Kayla Adams added: ‘I don’t usually post photos that are taken outside public events, but here you go ladies and gentlemen. The Prince and Princess of Wales out at a local farm shop near their home as reported this weekend. Can the Kate Middleton conspiracies settle down please.’

Saad wrote: ‘Kate is absolutely insane because how can you go through a major surgery, have the most vile rumours and conspiracy theories circulated about you, get attacked and harassed by armchair critics and still come out looking so gorgeous and unbothered.’ 

Another person added: ‘Honestly Kate could walk up to some of these idiots, slap them around the face, tell them she is Princess Kate… and they still would say she’s a lookalike, or a clone, or whatever batshit crazy conspiracy they’ve concocted! She’s out and about, looking happy and healthy… time to stop the madness!’

Kensington Palace has not commented on the photo where Kate is seen striding from the Windsor Farm Shop – much loved by the couple and set up by William’s late grandfather Prince Philip – while carrying a substantial shopping bag on Saturday afternoon.

The future queen looked well and was sportily-dressed, wearing a hooded top, gym leggings, sports socks and trainers. 

She was seen smiling as she spoke to the Prince of Wales, who appeared to be equally happy to be out and about with his wife in the spring sunshine. William was also casual in a baseball cap, casual coat, jeans and trainers.

The couple had gone there for supplies having reportedly spent the morning watching their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five, play sport.

The snap was taken at 12.43pm on Saturday by a member of the public who was also at the farm shop, just a mile’s drive from the Wales’ Adelaide Cottage home, on their Apple iPhone 12 Pro phone.

The person concerned said they were visiting the shop to ‘kill time’ while on the way to meet someone to buy an item from Facebook when they recognised William and Kate and were struck by how ‘happy’ they looked.

They spotted the couple again in the car park and decided to capture the moment to share with their own delighted family.

‘When I went inside I looked around and noticed them. They all looked happy,’ the person, who wishes to remain anonymous, said.

‘To be honest I don’t follow this type of news but I shared [it] with my family – they were like ‘oh, she’s alive!’ ‘ 

It also shatters cruel conspiracy theories being shared on social media, the onlooker said.

Body language expert Judi James said tonight that Kate’s behaviour was ‘quite extraordinary’.

She told MailOnline: ‘It is completely stunning to see the most sought-after woman in the world and the subject of speculation and rumours on social media suddenly appearing like this looking not just healthy, full of energy and incredibly happy but also making no apparent attempt to hide while out in public.

‘Kate walks ahead of William here, taking large enough strides to suggest no hint of any ongoing frailty. While William keeps his face partially hidden under his cap and his head lowered, Kate’s body language here suggests a desire to be seen.

‘Her head is up and her long hair is billowing while she wears a cheek-rounded smile that seems to signal she is completely upbeat and cheerful.

‘This is quite extraordinary body language behaviour for a leading royal out “incognito” in public and it suggests a point is, quite naturally, being made in terms of reassuring fans and quashing all the toxic rumours.’

Biographer Phil Dampier told MailOnline that many will be delighted to see Kate is now well enough to leave home.

He said: ‘It’s great that Kate has been seen in public and is obviously on the mend.

‘Lots of people will be relived that she is well enough to go to the farm shop and I expect she will soon be taking her kids to school or out and about during holidays.

‘Like anyone who has been convalescing for a long time after an operation she will be getting bored and would naturally want to resume normal life’.

Kate has now been spotted out and about four times in two weeks when Kensington Palace maintained that she would not be seen in public before Easter after abdominal surgery in January. 

It has been reported that she may even return to royal duties by walking to church on Easter Sunday.

The Princess, who made her last public engagement at Sandringham on Christmas Day, is widely expected to return to public duty full time after April 17, when her children start back at Lambrook School, near Ascot, following the Easter Holidays.

There are also claims by some experts that Kensington Palace may soon release a statement updating the public on her health.

The reports of an early return and her Windsor sighting come just a few days after the Princess was pictured in the back of a car alongside Prince William as they left Windsor Castle last Monday. 

The Prince of Wales was on his way to Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service while MailOnline understands Kate was headed to a ‘private appointment’.  

In recent weeks wild rumours – fuelled by social media and the foreign press – have speculated over the reason why Kate has not been seen, despite the Kensington Palace’s laying out her recovery timeline.

Over the weekend, a source close to the Wales’ said that the couple will disclose more information about Kate’s illness and recovery in due course. 

‘In Kate’s case, there is almost nobody else in the world whose face, body, clothes are more judged than hers,’ the insider told The Sunday Times. 

‘What is happening is exactly what they said would happen — she would spend two weeks in hospital and be back after Easter. So what if they haven’t pushed her out there to wave from the back of a car? She is not a show pony.’  

A friend said the couple are fully aware about the circulating rumours but claimed: ‘They’re not like [Prince] Harry, obsessing and scrolling through Twitter, but they know it has broken through. 

‘They follow the news and see the BBC breaking news alerts’.

Kate was admitted to the London Clinic – the private hospital where the King underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate – for planned abdominal surgery.

She left the hospital on January 29 – almost two weeks later – and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Details of her condition have not been revealed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that the Princess wished her personal medical information to remain private.

Another friend said: ‘She and William are at their most open when out interacting with the public. I can see a world in which the Princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements.

‘If she was going to do it, that’s how she would do it. They appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays.’

Kensington Palace has maintained that Kate is ‘doing well’ and will only provide significant updates.

Smiling and walking with her husband, a new image of the Princess of Wales will reassure fans that she is recovering well from her abdominal surgery.

The photo taken by a member of the public on Saturday shows William, 41, and Kate, 42, visiting the Windsor Farm Shop, a short drive from their home in Berkshire.

The princess looks healthy, happy and relaxed, carrying her own shopping bag and smilingly talking to her husband as the couple leaves the store and returns to their car, according to the image published by The sun.

They were not accompanied by their three children: Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis.

The couple have been deeply saddened in recent weeks by wild speculation and gossip on social media about Kate’s health and whereabouts.

This has since been reported in publications ranging from the New York Times to British Vogue – and has even become the subject of cruel mockery on US prime-time television.

Global superstars such as Kim Kardashian have added fuel to the fire with messages about Kate’s ‘disappearance’ to their millions of fans.

The debacle over the princess’s well-meaning Mother’s Day photo, which she later admitted she had tried to edit, only fueled more speculation.

This was preceded by William’s sudden announcement that he was withdrawing from his godfather’s memorial service last month due to what was only described as a “personal matter”, just 45 minutes before he was due to give a talk.

Set against the backdrop of the king’s cancer diagnosis, the drama has created a feverish atmosphere of gossip and conjecture around the royal family.

Sources close to Wales told the Mail they found the speculation hugely hurtful and difficult to deal with, but were determined to focus on what was important to them: their family and the Princess’s recovery.

The new images and video, which show the couple going about their normal lives, are expected to help calm many of the wilder rumors gripping people around the world.

The video was taken at 12.43pm on Saturday by a member of the public who was also at the farm shop, just a mile’s drive from the Adelaide Cottage home in Wales, on their Apple iPhone 12 Pro phone.

The person involved said they were visiting the store to ‘kill time’ as they met someone on the way to buy an item from Facebook, when they recognized William and Kate and noticed how ‘happy’ they looked.

They saw the couple again in the parking lot and decided to make a video to share with their own delighted family.

“When I went in, I looked around and saw them. They all looked happy,” said the person, who wished to remain anonymous.

“To be honest, I don’t follow this kind of news, but I shared the video with my family. They said, ‘Oh, she’s alive!’ ‘

The prince and princess are both dressed casually and each carry a white shopping bag in their left hand.

Kate wears black leggings, tucked into socks and sneakers, with a zip-up top and wears her hair down.

William is wearing jeans, sneakers and a jacket with a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead.

As they chatted, the couple – who will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary in April – couldn’t look happier.

And the fact that the princess seems to be walking so easily suggests that she is very much on the mend.

On January 17, Kensington Palace announced that Kate had been admitted to the London Clinic in Marylebone, central London, the day before for a “planned abdominal operation.”

It was said that the operation had been successful but would result in a two-week stay in hospital before a period of lengthy recovery at home.

Her spokesperson added that, based on current medical advice, it is unlikely she will resume her public duties until after Easter.

That advice has not changed.

A spokesperson said it was the princess’s personal wish to keep her medical information private and said she would only provide an update if there was “significant new information to share.”

However, their clear statement did not stop social media and foreign publications, websites and television from speculating wildly about the whereabouts of the princess and what might have happened to her. The hashtag #whereiskate started trending.

Even the BBC website covered the issue, highlighting the bizarre speculation under the headline: ‘A royal dilemma as public curiosity about Kate’s health grows.’

Some of it was farcical, including the oft-repeated rumor that she is recovering from a “Brazilian butt lift” or hiding out after a bad haircut.

However, other claims have been downright insulting, including one by a journalist on Spanish television that she has been in a coma which has received enormous international attention and had to be openly denied by Kensington Palace.

However, trolls and conspiracy theorists have continued to this day to use her absence and the lawlessness of social media to spread deeply sinister and highly defamatory claims.

A spokesperson recently reiterated their previous advice that they would not provide a “running commentary” on the princess’ health.

“From our perspective, we were very clear from our statement at the start of this in January that the Princess of Wales intended to remain out of public action until after Easter and that has not changed,” they said.

The Princess of Wales’ surprise visit to her favourite farm shop on a busy spring Saturday only piles yet more pressure on the Palace to update the public on her health as bonkers conspiracy theories about her rage online, experts said today.  

Kate was spotted looking ‘happy, healthy and relaxed’ as she picked up goods from the independent store just a mile from her Adelaide Cottage home on Saturday.

The future Queen was spotted by customers at the Windsor Farm Shop with Prince William after a morning of apparently watching their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five, play sport.

Biographer Phil Dampier told MailOnline that while many will be happy to hear Kate is out and about, others will ‘now be saying if she is well enough to be seen by members of the public then why can’t we be told what is wrong with her?’

He said: ‘A report over the weekend said Kate will want to reveal her treatment when she is fully fit and back at work. That would probably be the best way but some will be impatient and want answers now’.

Royal expert and investigative journalist Tom Bower has said that Kate’s outing shows there is ‘panic at the Palace’, especially after the farrago of her edited Mother’s Day portrait. 

He said: ‘Her appearance suggests panic at the Palace. Just as last week’s furore has died down, they allowed her to reignite all the questions about her health which should remain private. Her advisors clearly can’t decide what their strategy should be, or agree it with the Wales’s. If they carry on like this – ducking and weaving – it will end badly’.

Kate has now been spotted four times in two weeks when Kensington Palace said  maintained that she would not be seen in public before Easter after abdominal surgery in January. It has been reported that she may return to royal duties by walking to church on Easter Sunday.

Mr Bower believes her aides are in a state of panic and every public outing only ignites more conspiracy theories and questions about her health, especially as there is no picture of Kate in Windsor yesterday and no update on her condition.

He has accused Kensington Palace of handling the Photoshop scandal ‘appallingly’ and failing to protect the Princess of Wales when she should have her ‘feet up’ at home while she recovers from major surgery. 

‘Yesterday’s unexpected “sighting” of Kate suggests that her Palace advisors have still not learnt their lesson’, he said.

The sighting at The Windsor Farm Shop will also provide a much needed boost to the British public who have been growing more concerned about the Princess’ health in the midst of a tsunami of speculation over her unknown condition.

A witness who saw the couple told The Sun last night: ‘After all the rumours that had been going round I was stunned to see them there. Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well.

‘The kids weren’t with them but it’s such a good sign she was healthy enough to pop down to the shops.’

While no pictures were taken of the couple – adhering to their request for privacy as Kate recovers – their reported appearance is an encouraging sign that she is taking her first steps towards a return to official royal engagements. 

Phil Dampier said: ‘It’s great that Kate has been seen in public and is obviously on the mend.

‘Lots of people will be relived that she is well enough to go to the farm shop and I expect she will soon be taking her kids to school or out and about during holidays.

‘Like anyone who has been convalescing for a long time after an operation she will be getting bored and would naturally want to resume normal life.

‘But unfortunately for some people on social media and elsewhere nothing will ever be enough and they will now be saying if she is well enough to be seen by members of the public then why can’t we be told what is wrong with her?

‘I remember several years ago Prince William got it into his head that he didn’t want anyone to know the name of their new dog.

‘A few weeks later Kate was visiting a hospital and told a patient the dog’s name was Lupo.

‘She is more open about things and I’m sure this is how she will reveal more about her health when she feels confident and thinks the time is right’.

The Princess, who made her last public engagement at Sandringham on Christmas Day, is expected to return to public duty after April 17, when her children start back at Lambrook School, near Ascot, following the Easter Holidays.

Yet there is suggestion that Kate could now make an earlier return and may even be seen walking into the annual Easter Matins service at St George’s Chapel on the Windsor estate. 

According to the Telegraph the Princess has not ruled out making a return to the public eye on Easter Sunday and could join her family for the traditional walk about, which would be photographed. 

A palace source told the paper there had been ‘no confirmation either way’ adding that anything else was speculation.

The reports of an early return and her Windsor sighting come just a few days after the Princess was pictured in the back of a car alongside Prince William as they left Windsor Castle last Monday. 

The Prince of Wales was on his way to Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service while MailOnline understands Kate was headed to a ‘private appointment’.  

In recent weeks wild rumours – fuelled by social media and the foreign press – have speculated over the reason why Kate has not been seen, despite the Kensington Palace’s laying out her recovery timeline.

‘Katespiracies’ online have ranged from claims she was recovering from a ‘Brazilian bum lift’ or in a coma, a theory sparked by a journalist on Spanish television. 

Some joked she was a contestant on The Masked Singer television show – or may have even been bumped from the Royal Family.

Other trolls and conspiracy theorists have used her absence and the lawlessness of social media to spread deeply sinister and highly libellous claims. Even Kim Kardashian has wade in posting selfies captured: ‘On my way to go find Kate.’

The absurd claims only intensified when the Princess took the blame for the family photograph released by Kensington Palace on Mother’s Day, which was ‘killed’ by six of the world’s top picture agencies over concern that it had been ‘manipulated’.

It came after it was pointed out that part of Princess Charlotte‘s sleeve and the misaligned edge of her skirt were missing, with other speculation including the positioning of Kate’s zip. 

In addition to the numerous imperfections in the image, viewers also spotted that Kate appeared to not be wearing her wedding ring, which sparked multiple unfounded theories online about the state of her marriage. 

The furor on social media led the Princess to make a personal apology on X, writing ‘Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.’ 

It is understood that Kate had only intended to ‘bring a bit of joy’ and release a reassuring image to thank the public for their ongoing support, and that she and William are both ‘shaken and devastated’ at the speculation about their marriage. 

William is said to have taken the picture in a 40-minute window on a £2,900 Canon camera on Friday before the Princess edited it twice in Photoshop to ‘make it the best it can be’. 

Despite calls for the original image to be published, Kensington Palace insisted it would not be reissuing the unedited photograph of Kate and her children. 

One insider said: ‘I worry about all this attention on Catherine. She did not look happy at all in the car on Monday.’

Over the weekend, a source close to the Wales’ said that the couple will disclose more information about Kate’s illness and recovery in due course. 

‘In Kate’s case, there is almost nobody else in the world whose face, body, clothes are more judged than hers,’ the insider told The Sunday Times. 

‘What is happening is exactly what they said would happen — she would spend two weeks in hospital and be back after Easter. So what if they haven’t pushed her out there to wave from the back of a car? She is not a show pony.’  

A friend said the Waleses are fully aware about the circulating rumours but claimed: ‘They’re not like [Prince] Harry, obsessing and scrolling through Twitter, but they know it has broken through. 

‘They follow the news and see the BBC breaking news alerts.’

The insider added that the speculation around the couple’s marriage is ‘just cruel’, especially while William, Kate and their children are ‘going through the hardest time they’ve had to go through as a family’.

Kate was admitted to the London Clinic – the private hospital where the King underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate – for planned abdominal surgery.

She left the hospital on January 29 – almost two weeks later – and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Speculation grew online as she recuperated in Windsor which was only stoked further when William pulled out of a memorial service for his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece, for an unexplained ‘personal matter’. 

The Ministry of Defence also came under fire after it suggested that Kate would be attending the Trooping the Colour event in June before her appearance was quickly stripped from the Army’s official website.  

Details of her condition have not been revealed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that the Princess wished her personal medical information to remain private.

Another friend said: ‘She and William are at their most open when out interacting with the public. I can see a world in which the Princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements.

‘If she was going to do it, that’s how she would do it. They appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays.’

Kensington Palace has maintained that Kate is ‘doing well’ and will only provide significant updates.

The couple are refusing to publish any details until they feel ready, with a friend adding: ‘They will want to be clear and more open, but they’ll do it when they feel ready. 

‘I would expect that to be her instinct and it will be her call. They are not going to be rushed.’ 

Sources told the Mail that that there is no pressure or hurry on her to do so and her focus remains on ‘what is important’ – her recovery and her three children. 

Despite this tumultuous few weeks for the Royal Family, it is expected that William and Kate will still uphold the tradition of releasing a new photograph to mark their children’s birthdays, the next being Prince Louis on April 23.

‘They appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays,’ an aide told the Times.

While there has been no official confirmation that Kate will be well enough to attend Trooping the Colour in June, the King, who is suffering from cancer, is determined to attend his official birthday celebrations.

The Mail revealed last night that aides are already exploring ways that Charles will be able to part within the constraints of his ongoing cancer treatment. 

This could include watching the military spectacular from a podium, instead on horseback as usual, and being driven to Buckingham Palace, like his late mother did.

A firm decision will be made at the time and will be dependent on medical advice. The event will take place on June 15 and the Mail understands the planning is a source for optimism. 

‘There are a number of key events His Majesty would love to attend coming up in the diary and this is at the top of the list,’ a source said. 

The Princess of Wales was reportedly spotted looking ‘happy, healthy and relaxed’ on a visit to a local farm shop over the weekend, marking the first time she has been seen out and about since undergoing planned abdominal surgery.

Kate and William were reportedly seen at one of their favourite spots, around a mile from their Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor on Saturday after having watched their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five – take part in sports.

The sighting at The Windsor Farm Shop will provide a much needed boost to the British public who have been growing more concerned about the Princess’ health in the midst of a tsunami of speculation over her unknown condition.

A witness who saw the couple told The Sun last night: ‘After all the rumours that had been going round I was stunned to see them there. Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well.

‘The kids weren’t with them but it’s such a good sign she was healthy enough to pop down to the shops.’

While no pictures were taken of the couple – adhering to their request for privacy as Kate recovers – their alleged appearance is an encouraging sign that she is taking her first steps towards a return to official royal engagements. 

The Princess, who made her last public engagement at Sandringham on Christmas Day, is expected to return to public duty after April 17, when her children start back at Lambrook School, near Ascot, following the Easter Holidays.

Yet there is suggestion that Kate could now make an earlier return and may even be seen walking into the annual Easter Matins service at St George’s Chapel on the Windsor estate. 

According to the Telegraph the Princess has not ruled out making a return to the public eye on Easter Sunday and could join her family for the traditional walk about, which would be photographed. 

A palace source told the paper there had been ‘no confirmation either way’ adding that anything else was speculation.

The reports of an early return and her Windsor sighting come just a few days after the Princess was pictured in the back of a car alongside Prince William as they left Windsor Castle last Monday. 

The Prince of Wales was on his way to Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service while MailOnline understands Kate was headed to a ‘private appointment’.  

In recent weeks wild rumours – fuelled by social media and the foreign press – have speculated over the reason why Kate has not been seen, despite the Kensington Palace’s laying out her recovery timeline.

‘Katespiracies’ online have ranged from claims she was recovering from a ‘Brazilian bum lift’ or in a coma, a theory sparked by a journalist on Spanish television. 

Some joked she was a contestant on The Masked Singer television show – or may have even been bumped from the Royal Family.

Other trolls and conspiracy theorists have used her absence and the lawlessness of social media to spread deeply sinister and highly libellous claims. Even Kim Kardashian has wade in posting selfies captured: ‘On my way to go find Kate.’

The absurd claims only intensified when the Princess took the blame for the family photograph released by Kensington Palace on Mother’s Day, which was ‘killed’ by six of the world’s top picture agencies over concern that it had been ‘manipulated’.

It came after it was pointed out that part of Princess Charlotte‘s sleeve and the misaligned edge of her skirt were missing, with other speculation including the positioning of Kate’s zip. 

In addition to the numerous imperfections in the image, viewers also spotted that Kate appeared to not be wearing her wedding ring, which sparked multiple unfounded theories online about the state of her marriage. 

The furor on social media led the Princess to make a personal apology on X, writing ‘Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.’ 

It is understood that Kate had only intended to ‘bring a bit of joy’ and release a reassuring image to thank the public for their ongoing support, and that she and William are both ‘shaken and devastated’ at the speculation about their marriage. 

William is said to have taken the picture in a 40-minute window on a £2,900 Canon camera on Friday before the Princess edited it twice in Photoshop to ‘make it the best it can be’. 

Despite calls for the original image to be published, Kensington Palace insisted it would not be reissuing the unedited photograph of Kate and her children. 

One insider said: ‘I worry about all this attention on Catherine. She did not look happy at all in the car on Monday.’

Over the weekend, a source close to the Wales’ said that the couple will disclose more information about Kate’s illness and recovery in due course. 

‘In Kate’s case, there is almost nobody else in the world whose face, body, clothes are more judged than hers,’ the insider told The Sunday Times. 

‘What is happening is exactly what they said would happen — she would spend two weeks in hospital and be back after Easter. So what if they haven’t pushed her out there to wave from the back of a car? She is not a show pony.’  

A friend said the Waleses are fully aware about the circulating rumours but claimed: ‘They’re not like [Prince] Harry, obsessing and scrolling through Twitter, but they know it has broken through. 

‘They follow the news and see the BBC breaking news alerts.’

The insider added that the speculation around the couple’s marriage is ‘just cruel’, especially while William, Kate and their children are ‘going through the hardest time they’ve had to go through as a family’.

Kate was admitted to the London Clinic – the private hospital where the King underwent treatment for an enlarged prostate – for planned abdominal surgery.

She left the hospital on January 29 – almost two weeks later – and returned to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Speculation grew online as she recuperated in Windsor which was only stoked further when William pulled out of a memorial service for his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece, for an unexplained ‘personal matter’. 

The Ministry of Defence also came under fire after it suggested that Kate would be attending the Trooping the Colour event in June before her appearance was quickly stripped from the Army’s official website.  

Details of her condition have not been revealed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that the Princess wished her personal medical information to remain private.

Another friend said: ‘She and William are at their most open when out interacting with the public. I can see a world in which the Princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements.

‘If she was going to do it, that’s how she would do it. They appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays.’

Kensington Palace has maintained that Kate is ‘doing well’ and will only provide significant updates.

The couple are refusing to publish any details until they feel ready, with a friend adding: ‘They will want to be clear and more open, but they’ll do it when they feel ready. 

‘I would expect that to be her instinct and it will be her call. They are not going to be rushed.’ 

Sources told the Mail that that there is no pressure or hurry on her to do so and her focus remains on ‘what is important’ – her recovery and her three children. 

Despite this tumultuous few weeks for the Royal Family, it is expected that William and Kate will still uphold the tradition of releasing a new photograph to mark their children’s birthdays, the next being Prince Louis on April 23.

‘They appreciate the public’s love and affection for their children and know there is a public appetite to see them on their birthdays,’ an aide told the Times.

While there has been no official confirmation that Kate will be well enough to attend Trooping the Colour in June, the King, who is suffering from cancer, is determined to attend his official birthday celebrations.

The Mail revealed last night that aides are already exploring ways that Charles will be able to part within the constraints of his ongoing cancer treatment. 

This could include watching the military spectacular from a podium, instead on horseback as usual, and being driven to Buckingham Palace, like his late mother did.

A firm decision will be made at the time and will be dependent on medical advice. The event will take place on June 15 and the Mail understands the planning is a source for optimism. 

‘There are a number of key events His Majesty would love to attend coming up in the diary and this is at the top of the list,’ a source said.