Since revealing her reason for missing royal engagements was a cancer diagnosis, the world’s royalists have switched from unforgiving gossip to unilateral praise of Catherine the Princess of Wales.
That isn’t to say that the rumour mill has been halted, and public interest is still heightened to say the least.
So when Kate Middleton made her first public appearance of the year at the annual Trooping the Colour parade this past Saturday, the buzz surrounding her was palpable.