Kate Middleton takes major step towards public return – live

The Princess of Wales is easing back into work following abdominal surgery by focusing on her early years project to improve the lives of newborn babies.

Kate has been kept up to date with her campaign and the “overwhelmingly positive” results of a study she inspired, Kensington Palace confirmed.

The Queen has begun a series of engagements in Northern Ireland.

Camilla met business owners and staff at a shop on the bustling Lisburn Road in south Belfast on the second day of her stay in the region.

There was an emphasis on local produce and favourite foods, with artisan and family producers sharing with the Queen their contributions to the community.

Camilla arrived in Northern Ireland on Wednesday evening, with a bugler from the Hillsborough Ford Guard playing to mark her arrival at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down, the royal residence in the region.

The Queen was last in Northern Ireland in May 2023 when she and the King undertook engagements on their first visit to the region following the coronation.

She is travelling alone this week after Charles stepped back from his public duties while receiving treatment for cancer.

Speculating about the health of the Princess of Wales is “village gossip” and “wrong”, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

The Most Rev Justin Welby told Times Radio: “I think we are obsessed by conspiracy and we have little sense of the humanity of those who are caught in the glare of the news.”

Mr Welby added: “People should be allowed to be ill, have an operation, whatever it is, and live their lives in peace without people demanding they prove something every other day.

Blaming the internet for exacerbating the problem, he said: “It’s extremely unhealthy. It’s just old-fashioned village gossip that can now go round the world in seconds and we have to turn away from that.

“Gossiping in that way is wrong.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said people should “butt out” and allow the Princess of Wales to have privacy while she recovers from her abdominal surgery.

Asked if he feels sorry for Kate, he told Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine: “Yes. I think that we should leave her alone.

“She’s had a difficult operation, and she deserves privacy.”

He added: “We should just butt out and leave her alone… That’s not really a political response, it’s a human response, as a dad and a human being.”

The King’s personal data was not compromised during the alleged data breach at the London Clinic, it is understood.

According to The Mirror, up to three people could have been involved in the alleged accessing of the Princess of Wales’s private medical records after Kate was discharged from hospital on January 29.

Charles, who is undergoing treatment for a form of cancer, also spent three nights at the London Clinic during the same month receiving medical care following treatment for an enlarged prostate .

The King and Kate were separately discharged from the clinic just hours apart on January 29.

The PA news agency understands that Charles’s medical records were not accessed in the alleged breach.

On Wednesday, the London Clinic vowed that “all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken” over any breach.

Up to three staff at The London Clinic are being investigated for allegedly accessing the Princess of Wales’s medical records, it has been claimed.

Sources said three workers at the London Clinic could have tried to read Kate’s notes while she was undergoing abdominal surgery in January, according to The Mirror.

They could potentially face disciplinary action for any breach of data, and could be charged with a criminal offence by the data-protection watchdog and face an unlimited fine if they are found to have unlawfully accessed her records.

A top private hospital with a reputation for treating royalty, politicians and celebrities has found itself caught up in the Kate Middleton media storm.

The alleged attempt to access the Princess of Wales’ medical records is “outrageous”, a health minister said.

Up to three people could have been involved in the alleged accessing of Kate’s private details after she was discharged from the London Clinic on January 29, the Mirror reported.

Dame Andrea Leadsom told Sky News: “It is completely outrageous.

“Obviously, it is a matter for the Information Commissioner but it is the case that every patient has the right to their privacy.”

Nelson Silva, 40, said he saw a “relaxed” princess with his “own eyes” as she shopped with William in the meat section of the upmarket grocery on the Windsor Park estate on Saturday.

Windsor Farm Shop became the unlikely centre of the world’s attention after a vist by Kate Middleton and Prince William – so Barney Davis went to see for himself:

Afarm shop that sells organic asparagus and pricey pate became the unlikely centre of a media storm this week.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted, shopping bags in hand, in footage filmed by a passerby through his car window in Windsor on Saturday. It was the first time Kate had been seen on camera since she underwent surgery for undisclosed reasons in January.