During celebrations for the King’s birthday, cameras caught what seemed to be a loving gaze between William and Kate, putting a damper on recent reports of an impending divorce

On Saturday, the streets of London were abuzz with the grand Trooping the Colour parade, marking the king’s official birthday celebrations. The night before the royal festivities began, Kate Middleton took to social media to provide a brief update on her health and to put an end to rampant speculation by announcing she would join the rest of the royal family in the celebrations.

Middleton’s last public appearance was back in December 2023, when she participated in the annual royal walk to church for Christmas. A month later, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales had undergone abdominal surgery, and she then vanished from the public eye.

Rumors about her health condition swirled, flooding news and gossip sites worldwide. Some speculated she had cancer (which ultimately proved true), while others claimed Middleton had withdrawn from public view after Prince William left her for his lover, Rose Hanbury, Middleton’s (former) friend.

In March, with seemingly no other choice, Middleton appeared in front of the camera and announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

“This, of course, was a huge shock. William and I did everything we could to process and manage this privately for the sake of our family. As you can imagine, it took me time to recover from major surgery in order to begin my treatment, but most importantly, it took us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that was appropriate for them and still reassure them that I would be okay.”

Three months filled with rumors have since passed – and Saturday, we received undeniable proof that William and Kate are stronger and closer than ever. An iconic moment was captured as Kate turned her gaze to William, who returned her look with one full of love. “William’s eye-crinkling and the puckered muscles around his lips showed his inner pride and possible relief to have his beautiful wife standing beside him again, while Kate, who had relaxed visibly by this stage, pinged back a wide, dimpled and very loving smile,” confirmed body language expert Judi James to the Daily Mail.

Smiling all around (Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

James continued: “Kate’s body language during this first-step return was a masterclass in what being a royal is all about. She already had the template from the late Queen and it included stoicism and calm with not one drop of self-pity or drama.”

Thousands of citizens took to the streets and gathered at Buckingham Palace to see the royal family –particularly Kate this time. A magical moment occurred when Middleton fixed her daughter Princess Charlotte’s hair, and a few moments later, on the palace balcony, she did it again and then placed her hands on her daughter’s arms.

Middleton’s eldest son, Prince George, also drew attention from lip readers, who reported that he looked at Kate with pride and told her to look at all the people who were so happy to see her.

And of course, once again, their youngest son, 6-year-old Prince Louis, managed to make quite a few headlines as he was filmed dancing to the tunes of the royal band, yawning, and making a variety of sweet faces.