Buckingham Palace is hiring new staff amid the controversy surrounding Princess of Wales Kate Middleton. The palace is recruiting for a ‘Communications Assistant’ for the office of private secretary, as per a report in the Independent’s Indy. The job advert is available on the official website of the Royal Family.

“It’s developing your skills on a worldwide platform. And it’s pride in joining the team at the heart of a world famous institution. This is what makes working for the Royal Household exceptional.The Royal Communications team promotes the work, role, relevance and value of the Royal Family to a worldwide audience. The reaction to our work is always high-profile, and so reputation and impact will be at the forefront of all that you do,” the palace said about the job.

They added, “Whether working on a state visit, ceremonial event or Royal engagement, you’ll make sure our communications consistently spark interest and reach a range of audiences. Although based primarily at Buckingham Palace, you’ll also travel in the UK to support visits and engagements.”

The pay package is around 25,642 pounds per annum with 25 days of annual leave and other perks. Candidates who wish to apply for the position have time till April 7.

Meanwhile, Kate Middleton has been away from the public eye since December, leaving social media users speculating about the UK royal. According to Kensington Palace, the 42-year-old is recovering at home after a “planned abdominal surgery” in January.   Other than a couple of blurry pictures and videos, she has not been seen and social media has been abuzz with speculation about her health, generating global headlines and rumours.

She was spotted at a farmer’s market with her husband Prince William on March 16. The new video, published by the British media, showed a smiling Princess, dressed in a black outfit, walking with her husband, carrying shopping bags at the Windsor market. Some people allege that the woman in the video did not resemble the Princess of Wales while others say that they are happy to see Ms Middleton “happy and healthy”. 

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has been away from the public eye since December, leaving social media users speculating about the UK royal. According to Kensington Palace, the 42-year-old is recovering at home after a “planned abdominal surgery” in January, but some users believe the royal is in an “induced coma”. Amid the speculations, the royal’s senior staff members are not aware of her post-recovery process. Some of the staffers stated that she was nowhere to be seen. 

“A few of Kate’s senior staffers haven’t been able to see or speak to her, and they didn’t even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it’s caught them off guard,” a source told Us Weekly.

According to the New York Post, some of them had no idea about the surgery until it was announced by Kensington Palace. “Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped. It’s confusing and causing some concern,” they continued. 

A “shroud of secrecy” surrounds Ms Middleton, the report continued, adding that the only guests have been the cancer-stricken King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla.  It added that the palace is keeping the royal’s post-op recuperation “very hush-hush.”

“Kate’s said she feels she’s entitled to heal and recuperate without all of this frenzied speculation. Neither Kate nor William think her medical records should be for public consumption. She’s trying not to pay attention to all the rumours and gossip, and William is doing his best to shield her, but it’s distressing,” they added.

Meanwhile, a controversy started after the Princess of Wales shared a family snap of herself with her children on Mother’s Day. The photo was withdrawn by news agencies after it was found to have been “manipulated”. The princess later apologised, saying, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” The 42-year-old was said to be “very sad” that a happy family photo had sparked such an uproar.

However, the incident gave rise to a new wave of conspiracy theories about the British royal, which have been termed “Katespiracy” online. Many people were also curious about whether British royals had ever manipulated photographs, and media outlets like CNN announced that they would look over all of the handout photos that Kensington Palace had previously provided.

Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was spotted on Monday for the first time after remaining out of public eye for months since December last year. 

According to reports the UK royal was pictured near Windsor Castle on the outskirts of London. The Princess of Wales was sitting on a passenger seat of an Audi being driven by her mom, Carole, shows a picture. 

Kate has been away from the public eye since December when she attended church services with her family. Kate attempted to keep a low profile, wearing a pair of sunglasses. The sighting comes as wild conspiracy theories about Middleton’s whereabouts have taken over the Internet.

According to Kensington Palace, the 42-year-old was recovering at home after a “planned abdominal surgery” in January.

On January 17, the office of the Prince and Princess of Wales said in a statement that the royal would spend 10 to 14 days in hospital after the surgical procedure and later recover at home.

“Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery. The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days, before returning home to continue her recovery,” the statement read.

However, in recent days, the royal’s prolonged absence from public life has spurred talk. While claims range from genuine concern to outlandish conspiracy theories, the most popular theory is that the royal suffered complications during her surgery and was put in an induced coma.

Kate’s husband Prince William, who recently pulled out of a scheduled appearance at a Windsor Castle citing a “personal matter”, has been seen attending galas and events alone, an unusual sight.