When Kate, the Princess of Wales, was spotted publicly for the first time after undergoing surgery and a hospitalization in January, the person by her side was her mother Carole Middleton.
Kate, who is married to Prince William, was photographed Monday sitting in the passenger seat of a car her mother was driving, near Windsor Castle.
The photograph is the first time Kate has been seen publicly since Christmas Day. In mid-January, Kensington Palace announced that Kate, 42, had undergone a &#8220;planned abdominal surgery&#8221; and was not likely to resume her public duties until later this spring.
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Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte of attend the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church, Dec. 25, 2023, in Sandringham, Norfolk, England.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
That Kate&#8217;s mother is supporting her during her recovery comes as no surprise to royal watchers, who have long observed Kate&#8217;s closeness with her family.
Here is what to know about Kate&#8217;s immediate family members.
Michael and Carole Middleton
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James Middleton and Pippa Matthews with their parents Michael and Carole Middleton arrive for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey, May 6, 2023, in London.WPA Pool/Getty Images
Michael and Carole Middleton, Kate&#8217;s parents, wed over 40 years ago and soon after welcomed Kate and her siblings Pippa Middleton and James Middleton.
The Middletons raised their children in Bucklebury, a village in West Berkshire, England, where they still live today.
Kate, now a mother of three herself, has said previously that she and her siblings spent a lot of time outdoors as kids, and with their grandmother.
&#8220;I had an amazing granny who devoted a lot of time to us, playing with us, doing arts and crafts and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us,&#8221; Kate said in a 2020 podcast interview. &#8220;And I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now.&#8221;
She continued, &#8220;As children, we spent a lot of time outside and it&#8217;s something I&#8217;m really passionate about.&#8221;
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Pippa Middleton and James Middleton attend Church on Christmas Day&#8230;Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images
The Middletons, who met while they both worked at British Airways, raised their three children while building careers as entrepreneurs.
In the late 1980s, the couple started their own retail business, Party Pieces, a party supply company that they sold last year, according to the BBC.
<h3>MORE: Kate Middleton seen for 1st time since abdominal surgery and hospitalization</h3>
In the years since Kate&#8217;s wedding to William in 2011, the Middletons have been welcomed in by Britain&#8217;s royal family, appearing at major royal engagements like royal weddings and the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla last year.
Michael and Carole Middleton are also active in the lives of William and Kate&#8217;s three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
The Waleses&#8217; main residence, Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where they moved in 2022, is just over 30 miles away from Bucklebury.
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Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton and Prince George attend the King&#8217;s Cup Regatta, Aug. 8, 2019, in Cowes, England.Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
In a 2018 interview with The Telegraph, Carole Middleton shared a family Christmas tradition involving the Wales children, noting that she puts up one separate Christmas tree just for her grandchildren to decorate on their own.
The Middletons are now the grandparents of seven, including George, Charlotte and Louis.
Carole Middleton told The Telegraph that she loves being a mother and a grandmother, saying that as a grandmother, her role model is her own mother-in-law.
&#8220;I had a wonderful role model in Mike&#8217;s mother, who I tried to emulate,&#8221; she said.

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Meet Kate Middleton’s family as she gets support from mom amid surgery recovery