Prince William to resume royal duties after Princess Kate’s operation
The Prince of Wales will return to public duties this week having taken time out to support his wife after she underwent major abdominal surgery.
William, 41, stepped back from royal engagements last month after the Princess of Wales, Kate, received treatment at the London Clinic on 16 January.
She recovered first in hospital before returning home to convalesce in Windsor last Monday.
At the same private hospital, the King received treatment for an enlarged prostate and was discharged the same day as his daughter-in-law.
The exact details of the Princess’s condition have not been revealed, but the Palace said previously it was not cancer-related, and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.
William will host an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday and that evening attend the London Air Ambulance annual fundraising gala in central London, Kensington Palace said.
He was due to return to royal engagements once Kate’s care and recovery had settled, but the 42-year-old future queen is not expected to resume official duties until after Easter.
The Prince last carried out a major royal event more than three weeks ago, when he travelled to Leeds to make former Leeds Rhinos teammates, Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, each a CBE for raising funds and awareness for motor neurone disease.
Kate will be under the careful watch of royal doctors and also benefit from the London Clinic’s aftercare, with dedicated physiotherapists on hand with a personalised plan and a video check-up at home with a nurse specialist on offer.
NHS advice about recovering from abdominal surgery says that, after a major operation with a large incision, it takes two to three months to be able to move around comfortably.
But this will be quicker if the procedure was keyhole surgery.
William and their family are being supported by their staff, including loyal, long-standing nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.
Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and siblings, Pippa Matthews and James Middleton, are also expected to be hands-on in helping the Waleses navigate the next few months as the Princess recovers.
