Kate issues statement on St Patrick’s Day as friends say she may speak about health

A family photo released for Mother’s Day is at the centre of a royal row sparked over concerns it had been “manipulated”.

Here’s a full report on everything wrong with the picture:

Friends of the Princess of Wales say she may speak about her health on public engagements, it has been reported.

Kate underwent surgery at the London Clinic on January 16, but details of her condition have been kept private, and she is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter.

Those close to Kate and the Prince of Wales say the couple will disclose more information about her recovery in due course, according to The Sunday Times, which reports her return is expected after April 17.

A source told the newspaper: “They are at their most open when out interacting with members of the public and 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.”

A friend reportedly said: “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’re not going to be rushed.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales intend to continue releasing photographs marking their children’s birthdays after Kate apologised for editing a family photo on Mother’s Day.

Prince Louis turns six on April 23 and sources close to the couple told The Sunday Times no “firm decision” has been taken yet on whether Kate will be behind the camera.

“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 paper.

It comes after a family photo issued by Kensington Palace was withdrawn with a “Kill” notice by international picture agencies and the UK’s PA news agency.

Kate apologised after concerns were raised over a missing part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve and the misaligned edge of her skirt, with other speculation including the positioning of Kate’s zip.

Kensington Palace declined to comment.

The Princess of Wales edited the infamous Mother’s Day photo because she was trying to make her family “look the best they can”, a friend claimed.

The picture issued by Kensington Palace was withdrawn with a “Kill” notice by international picture agencies and the UK’s PA news agency after concerns were raised over a missing part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve and the misaligned edge of her skirt.

A source told The Sunday Times: “It’s a photo that she knew everyone would pore over so she pored over it herself — she likes trying to make the family look the best they can.”

Meghan Markle has surprised fans and onlookers this week by launching a new lifestyle brand, complete with a social media page and a website, reports Nicole Vassell.

On Thursday, the Duchess of Sussex’s newest venture, American Riviera Orchard, hit the internet, and has set tongues wagging with people trying to figure out what the brand will provide.

As of yet, the brand’s Instagram presence consists of nine grid posts that assemble the brand’s title, seemingly embroidered with gold-beige thread onto a cream cloth.

On Instagram Stories, a short video features Meghan arranging white flowers in a jug, before mixing ingredients in the kitchen, as the song “I Wish You Love” by Nancy Wilson plays in the background.

The website is similarly elusive – so far, the homepage only shows the same logo image with a prompt for interested fans to sign up to the waiting list for further updates.

In an interview with the BBC, Earl Spencer compared the situation to the attention his sister faced and said: “I think it was more dangerous back in the day.”

The aristocrat became a vocal critic of the press after Diana died in a car crash while being pursued by photographers in Paris in 1997.

He told the broadcasters: “The circumstances of [Diana’s] death were so shocking, that it did make the industry that supports the paparazzi really consider more carefully what it could and couldn’t do.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted looking “happy and healthy” at a farm shop near their Windsor home on Saturday, the Sun reports.

The trip out reportedly came after the pair spent the morning watching their children George, Charlotte and Louis take part in sports.

A witness at the farm shop one mile away from their Adelaide Cottage home told the paper: “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.”

The sighting comes as the princess has been subject to unfounded conspiracy theories about her health in recent weeks.

She has been absent from the public eye as she continues her recovery from abdominal surgery she underwent in January.

Meghan Markle has unveiled her long-awaited lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.

The soft launch saw Markle returning to Instagram (she deactivated her personal account shortly after her engagement to Prince Harry) for the first time in four years.

Daisy Lester takes a look at what you can expect from the brand:

Friends of the Princess of Wales say she may speak about her health on public engagements, it has been reported.

Kate underwent surgery at the London Clinic on January 16, but details of her condition have been kept private, and she is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter.

Those close to Kate and the Prince of Wales say the couple will disclose more information about her recovery in due course, according to The Sunday Times, which reports her return is expected after April 17.

A source told the newspaper: “They are at their most open when out interacting with members of the public and 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.”

A friend reportedly said: “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’re not going to be rushed.”

Piers Morgan has weighed in on the Kate Middleton photo-editing conspiracy saying he has heard “alarming things.”

The outspoken broadcaster, 58, broached the matter on his show Uncensored yesterday, where he said Kate “could be fine and doing well” and said the Palace’s attempts to quash the conspiracy theories “got it wrong”, he later claimed “the Palace could be hiding something”.

Morgan said: “‘I’ve been told some stuff that, if even half of it is true, it’s pretty alarming what is happening. I don’t know what to believe, nor do any of us – we’re not there.”

The presenter clarified he could not confirm if what he had been informed was true.