WHY KATE REALLY VANISHED

After 70 days out of the spotlight, the royal reappears with her mum

- 

The entire world breathed a sigh of relief last week after the beloved Princess of Wales was spotted for the first time since her January surgery a week after her 42nd birthday.

Looking tired but determined on the way home from the school run, the mum-of-three was being driven by her mother Carole Middleton, 69, putting an end to months of intense speculation about the whereabouts of the "missing" Princess.

MYSTERY SOLVED

The day before the surprise sighting in Windsor, Kate's name had been removed from the official list of attendees at the Trooping the Colour event in June after an apparent palace blunder failed to notify the Ministry of Defence.

Combined with the ongoing mystery of Kate's illness, the correction inflamed crazed theories that included everything from a secret divorce to her being in a coma.