KATE’S BACK TO WORK!

With maternity leave behind her, the duchess happily returns to royal responsibilities

There have been Kate Middleton sightings over the past six months — at Prince Harry’s wedding, for one, and on outings with kids Prince George, 5, and Princess Charlotte, 3. But on Oct. 2, the 36-year-old duchess officially returned to work for the first time since before the April 23 birth of son Louis. As she chatted with children from the Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden at London’s Paddington Recreation Ground, she looked thrilled to be there. “She had a great maternity leave and enjoyed spending all her time at home,” says a royal insider. “But she’s happy to be back at work and to hit the ground running.” Sprinting is more like it:

She was due to attend the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit on Oct. 9, followed by cousin-in-law Princess Eugenie’s wedding on Oct. 12. But despite her busy schedule, she intends to remain hands-on with her own children. “Kate,” says the insider, “does as much as she can herself.”

Middleton sat in on a class and explored a wildlife garden at a London school. “All I found were tiny slugs,” she told well-wishers.