The Princess of Wales has to be the most talked-about woman in the world, with the frenzy around her reaching new heights this year.
Kensington Palace announced the news in January that Kate Middleton had undergone "planned" abdominal surgery, and after nearly two weeks in hospital, would be recovering in private at her Windsor home with her family.
“[The Princess of Wales] hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible," read the statement at the time of her surgery. "And her wish that her personal medical information remains private."
And while Kensington Palace's timeline was clear - that the Princess of Wales would take a temporary break from duties, not expected to return until after Easter, Kate's months-long "disappearance" concerned members of the public.
It was the recent photoshop scandal however that turned the concern into a full-on media storm, seeing Kensington Palace release a photograph of Princess Kate and her children, that had reportedly been photoshopped.
Not to mention, the Princess of Wales did not appear to be wearing a wedding ring - something that fuelled speculation that Kate and William's marriage was in trouble, with the royal rumour mill going into overload.
Princess Kate swiftly apologised for the mishap, releasing a personal statement accepting blame.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," read her statement. "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."
This rare statement however has only stirred the online frenzy more, with many believing that the fault didn't actually lie with the Princess of Wales.
A friend of the Princess of Wales is reported to have anonymously spoken to the Daily Beast, alleging that it is Kensington Palace that should have "accepted the blame".
"[Kate] has been under incredible pressure for several years, and is now being harassed by the media over fuck-ups made by other people," the friend anonymously told the publication. "How her office could have put out a picture without her ring when it was clearly going to be one of the most scrutinised pictures of all time is just unfathomable. And she is to blame? Sorry, no. That was their failure and they should have accepted the blame. They will clear out all those people when the dust settles."
The Princess of Wales is not expected to return to royal duties until after Easter.
We will continue to update this story.
