Prince William pays tribute to Kate as he makes his first public appearance since visiting the farm

The Prince of Wales hoped on Tuesday that the focus would return to one of his personal causes after wife Kate was filmed smiling and looking happy while out shopping with him.

Kate’s absence from public life following abdominal surgery on January 16 has led to wild conspiracy theories on social media about her whereabouts and health.

However, pictures have now emerged of the princess smiling alongside William during a visit to a farm shop in Windsor on Saturday, just a short drive from their Adelaide Cottage home.

On Tuesday, William returned to his day job visiting Sheffield to promote his project to end homelessness. The Homewards initiative is William’s “flagship project” and he is said to be very interested in how local partnerships develop.

He visited one of the areas to benefit from the project and revealed a £1m pledge from DIY giant Homebase to support hundreds of starter packs which could include paint, furniture and flooring to help tenants to convert a property into a home.

William, 41, agreed to selfies from well-wishers and hailed a former rough sleeper who turned his life around as “brave” for telling his story.

Joined Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition meeting at the Millennium Gallery – to discuss ways to end homelessness.

When the topic of early childhood was broached by Kate Joseph, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, William immediately remarked on the success of Kate’s Early Years projects.

Holding out his palms and smiling, he said, “This is my wife’s area, she must sit here.”

William also asked experts for their views on the extent of family homelessness in Sheffield city and the impact of drug addiction on leading to rough sleeping.

The future king has identified six areas, including Lambeth in south London, where the project will try to develop local solutions to tackle homelessness.

In the video, obtained by The Sun, Kate, 42, wore a hoodie and leggings and carried her own shopping, while William was dressed in a blue coat, jeans, trainers and a baseball cap. Shopper Nelson Silva, who filmed, said the couple looked “super relaxed” while Kate looked “happy and relaxed”.

Another witness said she was “just a woman shopping with her husband on a Saturday afternoon, like thousands of other couples across the country”.

Kensington Palace has not made any official comment on the footage, but has not denied that it is about the couple.

Online speculation about the princess grew after irregularities were spotted in a Mother’s Day photo of Kate and her children, prompting the princess to admit she had edited the image and apologize for any confusion caused.

Concerns also emerged today about another royal photo, with photo agency Getty Images saying a 2022 photo of the late Queen with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which was taken by Kate, had been “digitally enhanced at source”.