Army officials attack the Princess of Wales's public appearance

London: The British Ministry of Defense appears to have made an embarrassing mistake when it announced that Catherine, Princess of Wales, would attend Trooping the Color in June, apparently before consulting palace officials.

The announcement on the ministry's website has drawn attention because her appearance in June will be the first major official duty confirmed for Katherine, 42, since undergoing abdominal surgery.

But military officials appear to have been rushed because Prince William and Catherine's office, Kensington Palace, have not confirmed any public events scheduled for them. It is up to palace officials, not government departments, to announce and confirm the attendance of royal family members at events.

This announcement sparked confusion amid intense media interest in Catherine's health condition. The princess has remained out of the limelight since January, when palace officials announced that she had entered a private hospital in London to undergo an unspecified abdominal surgery. They did not provide further details but said she would not return to her public duties until after Easter.

British media reported that the army did not request approval from Kensington Palace before publishing the details. They announced the event on the expectation that Catherine, as a colonel in the Irish Guards, would inspect troops this year at the annual military ceremony.

The ceremony, a prominent annual event in the royal calendar, officially celebrates the reigning monarch's birthday with a parade that typically attracts huge crowds to London's Horse Guards Parade and along The Mall, the promenade outside Buckingham Palace.

This year, the Irish Guards are flying their 'colour' – or their battalion's flag – at the ceremony, so Catherine, as the symbolic commander of the troops, would normally have led the inspection.

Palace officials may not confirm the king's presence until the time approaches.