Kate Middleton Is Officially Back On Royal Duty, But How Long Was She On Maternity Leave?

She's baaack! The Duchess of Cambridge's appearance today — Tuesday, Oct. 2 — at a community garden for kids in the Paddington neighborhood of London signaled that the future Queen of England is ready to resume a more demanding schedule of royal duties following the birth of her third child, Prince Louis, earlier this year. But, now that she's back in action, royal watchers and fellow parents may be wondering: How long was Kate Middleton's maternity leave with Prince Louis?

Middleton started her maternity leave on March 23, according to HELLO! Magazine, which was a month before the baby's birth April 23 of this year — which means the duchess was officially off royal duties for just under six months. With the little prince turning 6 months old right before Halloween, at which time babies are usually over their tummy troubles and have head and neck control, according to BabyCenter, it's really the perfect time for Duchess Kate to be assuming a fuller work schedule.

Plus, even with a newborn, People noted that Duchess Kate still hit Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding and the yearly Trooping the Colour event, an official royal parade marking Queen Elizabeth's birthday.

Not that Middleton would have had time to laze about during her leave anyway; she still has Prince George, 5, and Princess Charlotte, 3, to attend to. According to Cosmopolitan, both her maternity leaves with Prince Louis' siblings were similarly timed.

Middleton's post-maternity debut involved taking a spin around the Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden, an outdoor school that's part of a gardening and community nonprofit for inner-city kids, according to TIME. Cosmopolitan added that Middleton has typically chosen a kid-related cause to kick off her re-immersion into work as England's leading lady.

People detailed that the Duchess of Cambridge — clad in a rugged olive green jacket, skinny jeans and boots — got to meet parents and kids, was shown an edible garden and admired some tiny slugs on a nearby plant. Sounds like a full day to me!

And if her royal duties and three kids weren't enough (including two schools, Prince George's private elementary and Princess Charlotte's nearby preschool), Duchess Kate also has a packed calendar for the coming months.

For instance, Town & Country reported that later this month is Princess Eugenie's wedding, in which Middleton's kids are sure to be junior bridal attendants. After that, it's sure to be a ton of showers and celebrations in Duchess Kate's family of origin because sister Pippa Middleton's due date for her first baby is sometime this month or maybe early the next, according to The Sun. A gala is also being held Oct. 25 for Prince Charles' upcoming 70th birthday, according to Vanity Fair, so I doubt Duchess Kate can skip her father-in-law's swanky soiree.

This already sounds like a lot, but apparently the plan, according to People, is that Middleton will have lighter royal duties through the end of the year, with more intense obligations starting in 2019. The Duchess has made no secret of having a nanny — as Us Weekly reported, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo has been with the family as a caregiver since 2014.

But now that Middleton is back in action, hopefully that means the world gets to see more of her and Prince Louis, whenever his next royal outing may be.