Kate, Princess of Wales, issues first message since surgery

Catherine, Princess of Wales poses in Windsor with her children Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte in a photo taken earlier this week by the Prince of Wales, and released March 10, 2024. Prince of Wales/ Kensington Palace/ Handout via REUTERS

LONDON — Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, thanked the public for their support in her first public message since undergoing abdominal surgery in January alongside a picture of herself with her three children.

The photograph, taken by her husband, heir to the throne Prince William, showed Kate, 42, smiling and looking healthy surrounded by Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” Kate wrote in a message on X on Sunday. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

Mother’s Day is celebrated on Sunday in Britain.

Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C

???? The Prince of Wales, 2024 pic.twitter.com/6DywGBpLLQ

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 10, 2024

Kate spent two weeks in hospital in January after having surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition. She has not been seen in public since and her office Kensington Palace has said she is unlikely to return to official duties until after Easter, which falls at the end of this month. — Reuters