The Princess of Wales has been spotted accompanying Prince Wiliam at a farm shop near their home in Windsor.

The appearance marks Princess Kate’s first public outing since undergoing planned abdominal surgery back in January.

Kate, 42, has made no official public appearances since Christmas Day, but, according to The Sun, is said to have been looking “happy and relaxed” during her outing with William.

William and Kate are said to have spent the morning watching their three children – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five – take part in sports.

A witness at the farm shop said: “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.”

Despite Kate’s latest appearance, she is said to be highly unlikely to return to royal duties until April 17 – at the earliest.

The mother-of-three will likely wait until after George, Charlotte and Louis have all returned to school after the Easter break. William will also take time away from duties during their Easter break.

This all comes as Princess Kate was hailed with three cheers in St Patrick’s Day salute from Irish Guards today.

In a video posted by The Army in London, one of the guards can be heard – at the end of the parade – saying: “Three cheers for the Colonel of the Regiment. The Guards then raised their hats before cheering for Kate.

The 2023 celebration was Kate’s first as honorary Lieutenant Colonel, after taking over from Prince William in the role.

In a statement released on January 17, the surgery was deemed as “success” but that Kate would be away from public duty for some time.

The mother-of-three then remained in hospital until January 29, before returning home that day to continue her recovery.

Despite Kate’s absence from today’s parade, the couple shared a post on their official Instagram page. The post, which included a clip of rehearsals, was captioned: “Happy St Patrick’s Day!

“Here’s a sneak peak of the Irish Guards rehearsing for their annual parade. Sláinte to all those celebrating today!”