Confusion persists over when the Princess of Wales will appear in public again

Speculation over when Catherine, Princess of Wales will return to official royal duties continues this week after expectations were raised by an unlikely source: the British Army.

The UK Ministry of Defence put tickets for its annual Trooping the Colour parades on sale on its website on Tuesday. Trooping the Colour is the military spectacle performed by hundreds between Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade each summer. Tickets were advertised to the public with appearances from both 42-year-old Kate and King Charles III on June 8 and 15, respectively. Cue delight from royal-watchers over confirmation of the royals’ first public appearances since their health scares, followed by a wave of concern that the princess would take that long to return.

Except it seems the Army didn’t get sign-off from Kensington Palace over Kate’s appearance. The palace, which handles the princess’ diary, had not yet confirmed if she would be reviewing the Irish Guards. The regiment is trooping its color – presenting its regimental flags – this year and it would appear the army jumped the gun in assuming Kate would be attending in her honorary capacity as colonel of the Irish Guards.

Uncertainty persisted for hours until the claim was pulled down from the army’s website on Tuesday evening. The King’s attendance for the event on June 15 – which is also known as the sovereign’s birthday parade – remains listed on the website where the public can enter an online ballot for tickets. Both royals have temporarily suspended public engagements. Kate is out of action until after Easter, while Charles has stepped back as he receives treatment for cancer.

The King is continuing his constitutional responsibilities and was pictured this week with Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt at Buckingham Palace ahead of the UK government’s budget statement on Wednesday. Amid a flurry of social media conspiracy theories, Kensington Palace last week reiterated that it had “made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery” and “that guidance stands.” Separately, a royal source had told CNN that she “continues to be doing well.”

The public also got the first sighting of Kate since her January operation after she was spotted in Windsor, just outside London, this week. The princess was seen wearing dark sunglasses and sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle driven by her mother, Carole Middleton. CNN decided not to publish the paparazzi shot when it began to circulate on social media on Monday. The photograph does not appear to have been used by any British media outlet.

There was no palace guidance sent out urging the media to avoid the photograph. CNN opted not to publish it on the basis that it may have been taken on private land, potentially amounting to a breach of privacy that wasn’t outweighed by any other newsworthy value. (In the UK, courts have held that privacy law is breached when an individual holds a “reasonable expectation of privacy.”)

The other consideration is that while we know Kate’s operation was not cancer-related, we don’t know how serious her condition is or what stage of recovery she is at. The existence of the photograph did, however, quash some of the wilder rumors and conspiracy theories circulating recently on social media about the princess’ health and whereabouts.

The palace is facing mounting public pressure to share more information about the future Queen, but it has taken a firm line on protecting her privacy. For the family, it’s a deeply personal question around how much of their individual freedoms to give up in the public interest.