Prince William postpones official duties to support Princess Kate following surgery

August 2024 ยท 3 minute read

The Princess of Wales underwent planned abdominal surgery this week

As the Princess of Wales is recovering from planned abdominal surgery, her husband is understood to have postponed some upcoming official engagements to support his wife and their three children. 

Prince William last conducted an official engagement last Thursday, 11 January, and is expected to limit his future public appearances as Princess Kate recuperates. 

The mother-of-three was taken into hospital on Tuesday, where she underwent surgery which went well, Kensington Palace reported as they released a statement about the news on Wednesday. 

The Princess' condition is understood to be non-cancerous but she will need to remain in hospital for the next few days. While a date for William's return hasn't been announced, Kate is not expected to resume public duties until after the Easter break. That will mark her first public appearance of the year, as she was last seen with her family on Christmas Day at Sandringham. 

She celebrated her 42nd birthday privately on 11 January, with King Charles and Queen Camilla marking the day by sharing a beautiful behind-the-scenes image of Kate taken at their coronation last year.

WATCH: Prince William and Princess Kate look back at their incredible year

Her husband returned to royal duties last week, presenting CBEs to rugby stars Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield in Leeds. As she recovers, William will no doubt support Kate and their children, Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, who have now returned to school at Lambrook following the festive break. 

More on Princess Kate

The couple were previously believed to be headed to Italy later this year in their first joint overseas visit at the request of the Government since becoming Prince and Princess of Wales but the trip may now be delayed. 

HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash previously said they had "a very packed schedule between now and Easter," each focused on projects close to their hearts, Homewards for William and Shaping Us for Kate, but their workloads now look to be significantly rearranged. 

In a statement revealing the Princess' hospitalisation, Kensington Palace said: "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery. The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter. 

"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private. 

"Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness' progress when there is significant new information to share. The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible." 

The London Clinic previously treated Prince Philip for "abdominal investigations" in 2013 and also performed an operation on Princess Margaret. 

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