Prince William calls wife 'arty one' amid Kate Middleton's photo editing scandal

Prince Charles pays tribute to Princess Diana at Diana Legacy Awards, mentions Kate Middleton, sparking curiosity about her post-surgery appearance.

Kate Middleton’s photo editing scandal has sparked a storm of reaction from the public and media alike, with Kensington Palace branded an ‘unreliable source’ and speculation surrounding Kate’s whereabouts flooding social media. The UK royals and their family have been under the spotlight for some time now, and Prince William appears to be in damage control mode. At the Diana Legacy Awards, the Prince of Wales paid tribute to his late mother Princess Diana, and made a brief reference to Kate.

Britain's Prince William, and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge visit to the Taj Mahal was ever more symbolic as Williams’s mother, Diana, had visited 22 years ago/ (Ajay Aggarwal/ HT Photo)

Prince William honours his late mother Princess Diana

At the event, the 41-year-old took the stage to discuss the shared goal of preserving Diana’s legacy. "That legacy is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award over the past 25 years," the Prince of Wales said. Later, he gave his wife Kate Middleton a warm mention while spending time with a group of children at the grand opening of the WEST Youth Zone in West London on Thursday. The Princess, who recently underwent surgery for an abdominal condition, has sparked curiosity with her mysterious post-surgery appearance, becoming the talk of the town.

Prince William praises Kate Middleton's artistic abilities

The next in line to the throne talked to teens during his visit to WEST (where everyone sticks together) about how to break away from a life of constant technology use and dependency. In one of the videos from the event, the Prince can be seen responding to a compliment he received from onlookers while decorating cookies. A visitor said they were ‘impressed’ with his artwork, to which the 41-year-old replied, “It’s really not impressive work.” “My wife is the arty one,” he added. "And my children. My children are more arty than I am," he said next.

Kate, who hasn't been seen in public since her hospitalization in January, has only been photographed twice since then: once with her mum and once with Prince William driving in Windsor, England. Since her Mother’s Day snap failed to quell conspiracy theories of her disappearance, she’s been at the center of a storm.