Kensington Palace finally released a photo of Kate Middleton after months of speculation about her health

• The Waleses marked Mother's Day in the UK by sharing a new photo of Kate Middleton with her kids.
• It is the first official picture of Kate released since her abdominal surgery in January.
• Her over-two-month absence from the public eye sparked conspiracy theories about her condition.

After months of being absent from the public eye, sparking conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and health, Kensington Palace released a new photo of Kate Middleton to mark Mother's Day in the UK.

The photo shows the Princess of Wales smiling and sitting in a chair surrounded by her three children. Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, appear on either side of her, while 10-year-old Prince George stands behind her with his arms wrapped around her.

The picture was taken by Prince William at Windsor earlier this week, according to the BBC.

It is the first official picture of Kate released since her abdominal surgery in January.

Accompanying the photo, uploaded to their social media accounts, was a message from Kate thanking the public for their support and wishing other families a Happy Mother's Day.

"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day," Kensington Palace captioned the photo, which was signed "C" for "Catherine."

Kensington Palace said on January 17 that Kate had undergone "planned abdominal surgery" and that she likely wouldn't return to work until around Easter, which falls at the end of March.

She spent 13 nights at the London Clinic, near Regent's Park in central London, following the surgery and returned to Windsor Castle to continue recuperating on January 29.

Though it's standard for royals to take time off for health reasons, it isn't common for them to disappear from the public eye, leading to a social-media firestorm at the end of February.

By that point, Kate hadn't been photographed in public for more than two months, as her last official outing had been on Christmas Day.

Speculation around Kate's absence, and the royal family's refusal to address the rumors, only heightened public speculation and left many wondering whether the British monarchy is in crisis.

However, in a statement sent to Business Insider on February 29, the palace said she was "doing well" and reiterated that they wouldn't provide regular updates on her recovery timeline.

"As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we shall not be providing a running commentary or providing daily updates," it read.

Earlier this week, she was spotted near Windsor Castle in a car with her mom, Carole Middleton.