Kate Middleton has returned to her royal duties after more than 60 days out of the limelight, an absence that sparked fresh pregnancy rumours.
The Duchess of Cambridge hadn’t been seen in public in weeks and her absence prompted mass speculation that she may be pregnant with her and William’s fourth child.
Some royal watchers were convinced that the duchess was laying low in an attempt to delay an announcement.
Some even claimed that Kate has steered clear of public events to avoid being photographed with a noticeable baby bump.
The Duchess of Cambridge visited an airbase to meet members of the RAF.
(Getty)
The speculation has all but been squashed with Kate’s latest outing, where she visited an airbase to meet members of the RAF and volunteers who helped thousands of people flee Afghanistan last month.
“It was a honour to hear the stories of some of those involved in #OperationPitting — which were inspiring, emotional, harrowing and powerful — from an incredible group of people,” Kate shared via Instagram.
“Flying out in excess of 15,000 people from Kabul was a truly collaborative operation across our Armed Services, local authorities and aid organisations in Afghanistan and the UK.
“You should all be proud of your work, often around the clock, to support the evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan.”
This is the first public royal engagement that Kate has been involved in over the last few weeks, where the mum-of-three was last seen at a football game on July 11.
Her absence from the public eye is not that uncommon, givent that just last year she wasn’t seen publicly for 41 days.
Her latest disappearance is understood to be because she has simply been enjoying an extended summer holiday with her family at Balmoral and the Scilly Islands.
Kate also attended the wedding of her brother, James Middleton, in France just a few days ago, although no photos were released.
The latest snaps of Kate out and about will surely ease the wild speculation, with the duchess looking radiant as ever.
She wore navy flare trousers with a fitted t-shirt and a light grey blazer open at the front for the occasion – and there was not a baby bump in sight.
The article originally appeared on our sister site New Idea.
