Kate Middleton defended after latest royal appearance sparks theory

Kate Middleton has been defended by a royal fan after her latest public appearance sparked an unlikely theory.

Hundreds of people lined the gardens of Sandringham House, hoping to get a glimpse of the royals on Christmas morning.

It is a long-standing tradition for the family to attend the St Mary Magdalene Church on 25 December, but it was an extra special appearance from Kate Middleton as it was the first time fans had gotten to properly interact with the Princess of Wales following her cancer diagnosis.

Following the conclusion of her treatment, Kate has since returned to public-facing duties, with her first official appearance being at Wimbledon, where she received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The princess spent just under an hour talking to royal fans. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Kate was joined by King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as her husband, Prince William, and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, in the short walk from Sandringham House to the church.

Kate was pictured receiving hugs, receiving more bouquets of flowers than she probably knew what to do with, and wishing people a Merry Christmas.

Despite her enthusiasm, however, some fans on social media believed that Kate didn't 'enjoy' the experience, and was merely there because of her royal duties.

But one fan who was there on the day has since 'set the record straight'.

The user on Twitter said (via The Daily Express): "This was the first time the PoW interacted with the public in a year. She’s been so brave.

"Her voice may have wavered at first, but from the moment she got out of church, she went to meet all the people there. She was there, supported by those who loved her."

The family outing is a long-standing tradition (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The fan added: "While other members of the Royal family had sped down the path, she stood there, allowed them all to outstrip her. Her husband had to call a security member to tell her to hurry.

"So please, PLEASE: enough lynching. The woman I saw on Christmas Day is a woman, a wife, a mother who, suffering from cancer, smiled and had a kind word for everybody.

"The woman I saw is a future Queen. A truly remarkable and kind person."

Whether it's flowers, chocolate or anything else, the Princess of Wales takes home a bunch of offerings from her various public engagements each year, but interestingly - she doesn't keep all of them.

Keith Roy, with the Monarchist League of Canada, has shared his expertise.

According to the expert, the beautiful bouquets of flowers Kate receives are 'always reused' as they are reportedly given to charities or churches.

He adds that the mum-of-three also sometimes takes back some of the flowers to the family's Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.