Prince William Mentions Kate Middleton During Public Engagement Amid Her Surgery Recovery

William visited northern England on Tuesday, and expressed his interest in bringing his wife in the future.

Prince William visited Sheffield, a town in northern England, on Tuesday, and expressed an interest in bringing his wife, Kate Middleton, to the area in the future.

While attending a meeting of the Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition -- a group seeking to address homelessness in the city -- at the Millennium Gallery, William appeared to be happy and in good spirits as he spoke with volunteers, Reuters reports.

As the conversation steered toward homelessness among children and young adults -- a subject close to the Princess of Wales' heart and charitable efforts -- William reportedly said, "We're venturing into my wife's territory."

"She needs to be sat here to hear this," William said.

William made no reference to his wife's health, or the recent wave of speculation, controversy and conspiracy theories plaguing the palace in recent weeks.

Prince William attends a Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition meeting at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield, northern England on March 19, 2024. - OLI SCARFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

William's appearance in Sheffield comes one day after video surfaced showing William and Kate shopping together at the Windsor Farm Shop over the weekend -- the first footage of the pair together in public amid her recovery from her January abdominal surgery

As seen in video footage obtained by TMZ, Middleton appeared to be smiling and happy as she and her husband briskly walked outside the shop while chatting.

The Sun first reported on the sighting prior to video surfacing. Eyewitnesses reportedly described Middleton as looking "happy, relaxed and healthy."

The Sun further reported that the royal parents watched their three children -- Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 -- play sports that morning. 

 "After all the rumors that had been going round I was stunned to see them there," an unnamed eyewitness at the shop told The Sun.

Saturday's sighting comes a week after she was photographed in a car with the future king of England on March 11. A royal source told ET that the Princess of Wales was on her way to a private appointment. However, new images of Middleton have come under heightened scrutiny after a photo of her with her kids posted to social media on March 10 -- through which she addressed her hospitalization for the first time -- spurred speculation that it had been manipulated.

The Associated Press retracted the photo as it did not meet their standards and the princess later admitted to altering the picture

As for the newer photo of her in the car, the photo agency denied fan theories that the picture had also been manipulated, telling ET that while the "image has been cropped and lightened, nothing has been doctored."

The most recent speculation has even called into question the veracity of the footage showing William and Kate shopping over the weekend, although no official comment has been released regarding the latest round of rampant conspiracy theories.

For a full breakdown of the photo controversy, visit ET's timeline revisiting the scandal here

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