Prince William visits Kate Middleton in hospital following surgery, expected to postpone royal duties
Prince William was photographed leaving the hospital where Kate Middleton is recovering from abdominal surgery as it's revealed that he will likely postpone some of his royal events and duties.
The Prince of Wales visited his wife Kate Middleton at the hospital as she recovers from abdominal surgery.
Prince William was photographed driving as he left the private London Clinic, Thursday.
He had a somber look on his face as he drove himself and another passenger, while another car followed close behind them.
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William’s visit comes one day after Kensington Palace announced Wednesday that the Princess of Wales’ surgery was successful and that she could remain in the hospital for up to two weeks recovering.
"Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery," the palace said in a statement posted to social media. "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."
Middleton will postpone her public duties, likely until after Easter "based on the current medical advice," the palace added in its statement.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales is expected to also postpone some of his royal duties to be by his wife’s side while she recovers in a hospital, according to reports.
The postponements include two international visits, according to People magazine.
He is also expected to spend extra time with their three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, who recently returned to school following a Christmas break. Fox News Digital has reached out to the palace.
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William’s most recent public engagement was last Thursday when he met with rugby greats Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019, in Leeds to commend them on what they’ve done to raise awareness about the disease and to award them both with CBEs, the Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Middleton, who just turned 42 on Jan. 9, was last seen in public on Christmas Day walking to church in Sandringham and she hosted the "Together at Christmas" carol service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 8, which was broadcast in the U.K. on Christmas Eve.
Additionally, it was announced that King Charles will be admitted to the hospital next week for a "corrective procedure" on his prostate. Buckingham Palace said the king’s condition is benign.
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The palace explained that the 75-year-old monarch has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate "in common with thousands of men each year." It says he will require "a short period of recuperation" after the procedure.
"It can't be easy for William at this point, watching two of the most important people in his life go under the knife at essentially the same time," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King: The Life of Charles III," told Fox News Digital. "It's got to be a double blow, emotionally. From the sound of it, whatever Kate's medical condition is, it must be rather serious for her to have to spend two weeks in the hospital and another two months recuperating."
Andersen said William has spent "his entire life as an understudy to his father," so filling in for Charles’ duties would be nothing new to him.
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"What is new for William is watching his wife and the mother of his young children cope with what looks like a real medical crisis," he continued. "Kate is one of the U.K.'s most beloved figures, and I would think more attention will be focused on her situation than Charles' at this point. The Palace is under tremendous pressure to release more information about Kate's condition to the public, and I'm sure we'll all learn a lot more in the next day or two."
Ian Pelham Turner, British broadcaster and royal commentator, told Fox News Digital that as William steps back from royal duties to be with Middleton, it’s likely "other Royal members will increase their attendances to events including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Anne," referring to Charles’ siblings Edward and Anne and Edward’s wife Sophie.
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He added that the situation "begs the question, if there are any medical complications, could this tempt back [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle] to support the monarchy, and even an opportunity for Prince Andrew to show contrition and use his well-known organizational skills behind the scenes? Certainly, King Charles will take a similar amount of time out of the public eye… before going daily through his red boxes. It may be up to Queen Camilla to ensure Charles does not come back too soon and has plenty of rest."
