Kate 'bump-shamed' after making first public appearance since announcing her pregnancy

Royal followers have been commenting on recent pictures of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, questioning the size of her baby bump.

Earlier this week, Kate, who confirmed her pregnancy at the beginning of September, attended a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark World Mental Health day, wearing a powder blue lace dress which revealed a slight hint of her growing tummy.

However, when Kensington Palace shared images from the event, many of the account's followers posted remarks asking why her bump wasn't more pronounced.

'I thought she was pregnant!?' one queried, followed by another who wrote: 'Really, Is she pregnant?'

'i look more pregnant than Kate Middleton but okkk,' quipped another, whilst a fourth added: 'She is further along then me in pregnancy and she looks stunning and I'm over here looking like a cow.'

'I can't believe she's prego, she looks too thin,' another controversial comment read.

The family have not yet confirmed how far along Kate is in her pregnancy, although many have estimated that she's approaching the end of her first trimester, meaning that her baby would be due in spring 2018.

As with her previous pregnancies with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, Kate has been suffering with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that has led her to cancel several recent public appearances, including her son's first day of school.

An aide at the occasion confirmed that she was still experiencing these symptoms, and amongst the scrutiny, there were many who praised the duchess for finding the strength to attend at all.

'Thank you, Your Royal Highnesses, for your supporting this most important awareness and work. Very thankful to see the Duchess feeling able to get out. She looks stunning and radiant 💜,' said one.

'So good to see The Duchess again, esp. on such an important date & looking lovely, as always,' another agreed. 'Hope she's generally feeling much better now.'