Kate Middleton set tongues wagging on Thursday (27th October 2011) after conducting her first solo engagement while simultaneously debuting a three-inch scar on the side of her skull.
After a wave of speculation, a spokesperson for the Duchess of Cambridge last night revealed the cause of the scar, telling the UK's Daily Mail, "The scar related to a childhood operation". The palace refused to reveal further details of the 'very private matter', but royal sources confirm it had been "a very serious operation". John Scurr, a consultant surgeon at the Lister Hospital in London, thought it unlikely that the scar was the result of a tumour, explaining, "'I really doubt it was any serious medical condition and I would say it is as a result of an arteriovenous malformation - a birthmark - being removed". Coincidentally, Kate' husband Prince William bears a similar scar on his forehead - the result of being hit with a golf club when he was 13. William fondly refers to the blemish as his "Harry Potter scar". The Duchess was asked to conduct her first solo engagement at Clarence House after Prince Charles was suddenly required to fly to Riyadh to present condolences to the Saudi Royal Family, following the death of the Crown Prince. Despite the last-minute change of plan, Kate is understood to have effortlessly hosted the ceremony in aid of Charles' charity In Kind Direct.
Kate and William famously married at Westminster Abbey on 29th April 2011, in a ceremony watched by a reported 1 billion worldwide. The couple live on the island of Anglesey, where William is based at Raf Valley.