Prince William also mentioned his wife at a youth center last week.

Prince William recently spoke about missing his wife Kate Middleton at a royal event in Sheffield, England, on Tuesday. During his speech, Prince William turned his attention to the well-being of young children and made light-hearted comments about his wife’s work on early childhood programs. “Venturing into my wife’s territory. She needs to be sitting here to hear this,” he said with a smile.

In another interaction at the event, well-wisher Peter Brownlee, 61, mentioned sending a “get well soon” card to the Princess of Wales. According to the Daily Mail, Prince William responded: “You are very kind indeed.”

Prince William also mentioned his wife at a youth center on March 14, when someone complimented him on his cookie decorating skills. The prince replied modestly: “It is indeed not an impressive work. My wife is artistic. My children are more artistic than I am.”

Kate Middleton has not been officially seen in public since Kensington Palace announced plans for abdominal surgery in January. The prince’s visit came shortly after a video went viral, purportedly showing the royal couple walking near their home at Windsor Farm Shops.

Earlier, Kate posted a photo with her three children on Mother’s Day, but it was quickly deleted by news organizations such as the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters on suspicion that the photo had been tampered with. This sparked more speculation about her absence and led to conspiracy theories popping up on the internet.

To clear up the confusion, the Princess of Wales appeared to sign a statement shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official X account, addressing concerns that the photo had been photoshopped. “Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I would like to apologize for any confusion caused by the family photos we shared yesterday. I hope everyone celebrating Mother’s Day had a very happy Mother’s Day ,” the statement read, signed “C.”

Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally try my hand at editing. I would like to apologize for any confusion caused by the family photos we shared yesterday. I hope everyone celebrating had a happy Mother’s Day. C

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2024

Meanwhile, recent reports suggest the princess will make her official public appearance over Easter.