Kate Middleton shares new Mother's Day photo with kids after questions about her whereabouts

A new photo of Kate Middleton has been shared for Mother's Day.

It's the first official photo of the Princess of Wales since her abdominal surgery in January.

This new snap with her three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, comes after weeks of questions about her whereabouts.

Released officially by Kensington Palace and posted on her and Prince William's X (formerly Twitter) account, the photo of Kate comes with a message from her thanking the public for their 'continued support'.

In her post, she wrote: "Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

"Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. C".

The statement comes days after she was spotted in public for the first time on 4 March after TMZ published snaps of her driving with her mother near Windsor Castle.

The Princess of Wales went to the London Clinic for a planned operation on 16 January, and returned home to Windsor on 29 January.

She attended the same hospital where King Charles received treatment for an enlarged prostate prior to his cancer diagnosis.

However, conspiracies theories began swirling online about Middleton's whereabouts after the Princess took a break from royal engagements and public appearances to recover, leading to Kensington Palace to slam the 'madness of social media'.

At the time, a statement was released by The Princess' representatives saying her abdominal surgery was successful and she was expected to remain in hospital for up to two weeks before continuing her recovery at home.

Kensington Palace then added that they would only provide further updates 'when there is significant new information to share'.

They also encouraged the public to 'understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible and her wish that her personal medical information remains private'.

The photo also comes after news that Middleton will be returning to her royal duties in time for the Trooping of the Colour in June.

The Ministry of Defence's official website states: "Trooping the Colour reviewed by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales is identical to Trooping the Colour reviewed by His Majesty The King, with the exception that some additional mounted officers ride when His Majesty The King is present."

Her husband Prince William has returned to royal duties after withdrawing from a memorial service for his godfather two days ago for 'personal reasons'.

He visited the Western Marble Arch Synagogue where he was presented with a bouquet of flowers to give to his wife.