Prince William Attends Thomas Kingston’s Funeral Amid Kate Middleton Photo Controversy
Prince William is showing up where it counts.
Only two days after Kate Middleton's Mother's Day U.K. photo raised eyebrows, the Prince of Wales stepped out without his wife to attend the funeral of Thomas Kingston, the late husband of his relative Lady Gabriella, multiple outlets reported.
For the private March 12 service, William gathered alongside Gabriella and her parents, the Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, at Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace in London, where the financier was laid to rest.
Despite sharing their grief following his death, Queen Camila and King Charles III were absent from the funeral. Camila hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace the same day, while Charles announced in February that he would be stepping back from public outings as he undergoes cancer treatment.
William's public outing comes two days after a Mother's Day photo—which featured Kate and their kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5—posted to the official Prince and Princess of Wales' social media account was pulled from photo agencies amid accusations it had been manipulated. The agencies' amendment caused speculation among the public as to why the family would edit the photo, with royal expert Omid Scobie calling into question "the Palace's long history of lying, covering up, and even issuing statements on behalf of family members without their permission."
Ultimately, Kate chose not to stay silent on the issue.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the 42-year-old wrote in a March 11 message on X, formerly Twitter. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
And though Kate chose not to appear by her husband's side for Thomas' funeral, she hasn't been laying completely low amid the controversy. Hours after releasing her statement on the accusations, she was spotted leaving Windsor Castle alongside William to attend an appointment.
Keep reading for the latest updates on other members of the royal families around the world.
After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
Princess Diana's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby.
“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. "Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today."
After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule.
The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.
The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.
While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.
"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."
The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.
On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th.
Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.
"Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."
Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."
"His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."
Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!
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