Will the Kate video put an end to the conspiracies?

ITV News' Royal Editor Chris Ship talks about the video of Kate at a farm shop and the conspiracy theories surrounding the royal couple

After so many weeks and so many stories about the Princess of Wales, she has finally been seen.

But will it stop half the world losing its mind over her whereabouts and lack of public appearances?

The video, taken by a member of the public and obtained by The Sun newspaper, should be enough to quash the rumours.

But given the hysteria this story has generated it might not.

The video was taken on Saturday afternoon and published in Tuesday’s newspaper.

It is such a big scoop for The Sun that even its fierce rival, the Daily Mail, had to print the image with the newspaper's branding all over it.

In the footage, Kate is seen with William carrying a bag of bread, which she bought from the farm shop on the Windsor estate: smiling, walking, looking relaxed and very much alive.

I write “alive” because if you were to read some of the wild conspiracy theories online, you’d be forgiven for thinking the reason for Kate’s absence is because she had died or was in a coma or was locked in the attic like Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.

Of course, none of them are true, but it appears that one of the world’s most photographed women is not able to take a period of medical leave and take a break from her public-facing work without causing such a global maelstrom.

The mobile phone footage of William and Kate was taken during a private visit to the shop, which is on the edge of the Windsor estate, but has now been shown around the world by media outlets including ITV.

Editorial decisions were taken on the basis that the couple were outside and clearly identifiable by members of the public.

There was no attempt by either William or Kate to conceal their identities.

Kensington Palace did insist it was taken during “private family time” and that Kate had requested privacy as she recovered from her major operation.

But the publication of the video does at least help the palace in its attempt to calm the hysteria and prove there is nothing to hide.

Of course, that strategy was not helped by Kate’s Mother’s Day photograph earlier this month, which she later admitted she had digitally manipulated.

So seeing the Princess relaxed, moving and out shopping will be of enormous help to her staff who have been telling the world until they are blue in the face that nothing untoward has happened.

Kensington Palace announced in January that Kate had been in hospital having what they would only say was “abdominal surgery” and would not been back on duty until at least Easter.

This year, Easter Sunday is on March 31 and is therefore still some days away.

And, in any event, the guidance about Easter could apply to the school holidays.

Kate’s three children, who all attend Lambrook School in Berkshire, are on Easter holidays until April 17.

But with so much coverage given to this single video, Kate’s office must now ensure it does set a precedent.

Will it encourage more members of the public to seek to film and photograph them?

Will more paparazzi lenses descend on the Windsor estate in the hope they will succeed in taking a photo worth tens of thousands of pounds?

And how does the palace manage Kate’s return to public duties given the global interest in the story?

It will be quite a daunting moment for a woman who has spent months been recovering from major surgery.

This is the Royal Rota - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson.