Prince William delivered a speech at the Diana Legacy Awards last night — but he only briefly mentioned his wife, Kate Middleton, amid the ongoing controversy surrounding a Photoshopped Mother's Day photo.

“[Princess Diana’s] legacy is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award over the past 25 years,” he told the crowd at the Diana Award ceremony, a nonprofit set up in his mother's name that honors young people affecting social change.

The Prince and Princess's official Instagram account also posted a short video about the awards ceremony yesterday.

Earlier that day, William, 41, referenced his wife, 42, on a separate visit to a facility named WEST (Where Everyone Sticks Together). He was reportedly telling teens about the importance of moving away from obsessive tech usage as he decorated cookies with the kids at the center. “It’s really not impressive work,” he said of his cookie-decorating skills. "My wife is the arty one, and my children. My children are more arty than I am,” he informed the kids as he decorated a cookie with them. 

Both of William's seemingly offhand comments about his wife come amid sweeping worldwide concern about Middleton’s status. The Palace insists she’s still recovering from a “planned abdominal surgery” that took place in mid-January, but palace watchers have found it strange that Princess Kate has hardly been seen in public since Christmas. She was photographed in a car with her mother on March 4 and again in a car with William on March 11, but rumors questioning the veracity of both images have been swirling.

Onlookers around the world are concerned about her uncharacteristic lack of public visibility, and the rumor mill went into full-on overdrive after a heavily edited photo of Kate and her kids was released on the couple’s Instagram page on UK’s Mother’s Day over the weekend. "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused," Middleton wrote in an apology posted online on March 11. "I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C."

As far as yesterday's Diana Award ceremony, Prince Harry also appeared at the event, but he made a virtual appearance from California. Harry gave his speech after his brother had left.

The annual Diana Award ceremony honors young people who are committed to social action. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Award. The charity was conceived to honor Princess Diana's commitment to the youth.