Kate Middleton Kept a Sweet Family Photo in Her Purse: 'My Family Makes Me Feel Happy'

The Princess of Wales is currently being support by Prince William and their three children as she recovers at home from abdominal surgery

Ever wonder what's in Kate Middleton's handbag?

Before she was the Princess of Wales, Kate (as the Duchess of Cambridge) visited Lavender Primary School in support of Children’s Mental Health Week in 2019. A video from the outing recently resurfaced on Instagram, showing the royal pulling a family portrait out of her purse to share with the young students.

Taking part in an activity where students shared objects that represent something that makes them feel good, Princess Kate brought a picture: their 2018 Christmas card photo featuring Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The casual image was taken at their country home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk, and marked their first holiday card as a family of five following Louis' birth in April 2018.

"This is a photograph of my family. These are my children, and this is my husband," Kate explained, pointing out her family members to the students.

"My family makes me feel happy. We like playing outside together and spending lots of time together as a family, and that makes me feel happy," she continued.

Related: Palace Denies Reports That Kate Middleton Was in a Coma After Abdominal Surgery: 'Total Nonsense'

Princess Kate, 42, traditionally marks Children's Mental Health Week with royal engagements surrounding the topic as the royal patron of Place2Be, the charity that organizes the event and provides school-based support to improve the emotional well-being of pupils, families, teachers and staff. Last year, she joined students at St. John's Primary School in Bethnal Green to chat about connecting with others and experiencing different feelings while doing some arts and crafts projects.

However, the Princess of Wales won't mark the important week in her usual way this year as she recovers from an abdominal surgery performed last month. While she was released from the hospital earlier this week, Kate will continue her recovery at home for several months, with the palace previously advising that she is unlikely to return to royal duties until after Easter.

Even during her health scare, Princess Kate had her children top of mind. The palace statement announcing the procedure said, "She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible."

Prince William, who is also stepping back from royal duties temporarily to help Princess Kate during her recovery, visited his wife during her 13-day stay at the private London Clinic following the surgery on Jan. 16, but Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, didn't make the trip to see their mom.

"I don't think she wanted to make more of a big thing of it than it already was. They’ll be rallying 'round in their own way and helping to look after her,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward exclusively tells PEOPLE.

Instead, Princess Kate stayed connected to her children via FaceTime, which she and Prince William regularly do when they are away from the children on royal tours.

Children are generally not allowed to visit the London Clinic without permission from the hospital for the safety of the patients and to keep infections at bay.

A patient who had abdominal surgery at the renowned hospital last summer told PEOPLE he felt regret around having his son visit him as he found the experience "really scary."

Related: How Kate Middleton and King Charles' Surgery News Differed from Past Royal Statements on 'Personal' Matters

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Kensington Palace said Princess Kate is “making good progress," adding that she and Prince William are grateful to her medical team, “especially the dedicated nursing staff.”

The palace has not disclosed specifics about the nature of Princess Kate’s condition, but it is known to be noncancerous.

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Read the original article on People.