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I'm getting confused...what's the proper way to execute trills in Mozart's piano works?

Most editions I own give realizations that start on the principle note. That includes my Henle Urtext editions.

Then I read somewhere that it was Hummel (Mozart's student) who started the "trend" to start trills on the principle note. Mozart himself followed the tradition of CPE Bach and played trills from the note above the principle note.

I'm really confused now.

He was taught from CPE's book, so go by (buy?) that. Even JS sometimes starts from the principle note sometimes - go by ear.

i generally start on the note above....

I've been learning triplets for the duplets parts in K545. Sometimes they work and its easier to keep in time with the bass but sometimes I struggle to play them fast enough. Any technical aspects I might find useful? Would a composer mind a player using triplets even if its not notated?

Dead composers mind nothing.

I go by ear. Sometimes I start on the note, sometimes not. As long as you don't trill too fast - iirc Mozart said he didn't like very fast trills - I think it sounds fine.

Edit: Jamie, I'm sure a dead guy wouldn't mind, but you might want to try that section with a metronome, hands separately and together, and draw lines from the right hand notes straight down through the left hand notes to see where they fall.

lol

I just meant in a formal sense if I were to play in an exam. Whats the etiquete apart from play anything except K545.

You'll be marked on how well you understand the style. That will include appropriate trills.

Take a look at "Ornamentation and Improvisation in Mozart" by Frederick Neumann, Princeton University Press, ISBM, 0-691-09130-7.

I think it does depend on the context in many situations. It is my understanding that you start on the note above for Mozart in general. However, if they are short trills or within a quick passage, It is not possible to do a 4 note trill without it sounding to busy (say trilling on D, start E-D-E-D), and so you do a shorter 3 note trill (say in the above example, D-E-D). In those cases it depends on the sound.

...and mind you don't swoon!