Kate Middleton eases ‘back to work’ on special project after abdominal surgery

The Princess of Wales has continued to work on the project behind the scenes

The Princess of Wales is easing back into work following abdominal surgery by focusing on her early years project to improve the lives of newborn babies.

Kate has been kept up to date with her campaign and the “overwhelmingly positive” results of a study she inspired, Kensington Palace confirmed.

The positive update comes a day after it was alleged at least one staff member at the London Clinic, a private hospital where she was treated, attempted to access her medical records.

Three workers been suspended while the hospital investigates the claims, according to reports.

Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which funded a four-month trial of an observational tool that could enhance the monitoring of social development in babies, will publish its results on Thursday.

Kate was inspired to introduce the tool on British soil after seeing a similar procedure in place during a royal trip to Denmark.

The Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBS) is a quick psychological screening which involves assessing infants for their facial expression, eye control, vocalisation, general activity and their connectedness with their people and surroundings.

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace told the Telegraph: “The Princess has been kept updated throughout the process.”

A view of the newspaper headlines that published photographs of Princess Kate during a casual outing with her husband, Prince William, at a farm produce market in Windsor (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Kate is expected to make a “soft-return” to her duties after Easter as she continues to recover from an unspecified condition.

Her absence from the public eye fueled a social media storm and a number of unfounded conspiracy theories.

Kensington Palace’s decision to share a doctored image of the family on Mother’s Day caused further furore, forcing Kate into making a public apology where she admitted she had retouched the photograph herself.

The edited photo released on Mother’s Day which caused uproar (Reuters)

The Princess was seen alongside her husband William at a local farm shop in Windsor over the weekend which again led to an outpour on social media as online sleuths interrogated the footage.

Amid the controversy, Kate continued to play a part in the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) which was trialled across two NHS trusts.

The tool originates from France and examines specific factors in babies including: facial expression, eye control, vocalisation, general activity and how they connect with the world around them in a bid to improve the assessment of infant wellbeing and development.

The London Clinic where the Princess of Wales had abdominal surgery (Jeff Moore/PA) (PA Wire)

Health visitors who used the tool praised new initiative and noted the benefits of the training which allowed them to have better conversations with parents regarding their infant’s emotional wellbeing and to establish families who need wider support.

Christian Guy, executive director of the Centre for Early Childhood, told the Telegraph: “The results of the initial phase of testing are so encouraging.

“We now want to move quickly to ensure we build on this work, bringing the benefits of this model to more health visitors across the country so that, ultimately, more babies and their families get the support they need to thrive.”