Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has been on maternity leave since late March, shortly before she gave birth to Prince Louis in April, and royal fans have been wondering when they can expect to see the duchess again.
For months now, speculation has been rife about her return date, with the palace confirming nothing but that she would start carrying out royal engagements again “in the fall.” While many believed her maternity leave would end in mid-September, the palace remained mum on the subject. There was even speculation that she might be accompanying her husband Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, on his trip to Africa.
Fortunately, the palace has now (finally) laid all the rumors to rest and confirmed that the Duchess of Cambridge will carry out her first official duty next week, on October 2.
According to Kensington Palace’s Twitter account, Catherine will be visiting the Sayers Croft Trust Forest School and Wildlife Garden at Paddington Recreation Ground. The outdoor education charity is based in Surrey, just southwest of London.
Fans of Her Royal Highness were quick to rush to the comments section on the post, sharing their eagerness to see her back in action after such a lengthy period largely out of the spotlight.
The Duchess of Cambridge will visit the @SCTrust Forest School and Wildlife Garden at Paddington Recreation Ground on Tuesday 2nd October. pic.twitter.com/KFdKu7h3C7
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 26, 2018
During her maternity leave, fans have only been given small glimpses of the duchess. Of course, there was the photo-op outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London where she appeared in front of the world’s cameras holding her newborn son, but precious little has been seen or heard from her since.
Being who she is, she hasn’t been able to hide completely from the public.
Less than a month after giving birth, she briefly returned to royal duty during her brother-in-law Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. There she was seen corralling the bridesmaids and page boys on the steps of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for the special occasion.
A short while later, she was spotted at a charity polo match in which her husband Prince William was playing, watching from a grassy embankment with Prince George and Princess Charlotte in tow. Catherine also enjoyed some tennis in the sweltering English summer when Wimbledon came around.
She also, of course, stepped out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour ceremony, as she is bound to do as a member of the royal family. Another special occasion that saw her attend a public function was the flyby performed by the RAF to mark their centenary. She even gave fans an unexpected sneak peek at her when she attended a church service with the Queen while holidaying up at Balmoral during the summer.
