Kensington Palace shared on Wednesday that Princess Kate, the Princess of Wales, is on the path to recovery following a “planned abdominal surgery” conducted at The London Clinic the day before. Turning 42 earlier this month, the Princess is expected to remain in the hospital for ten to fourteen days before continuing her recovery at home.
In a statement released by Kensington Palace, it was revealed that the surgery was successful, and the Princess is unlikely to resume public duties until after Easter, based on current medical advice. The statement emphasized the Princess’s desire for normalcy for her children and the importance of maintaining the privacy of her personal medical information.
“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,” the statement read. “Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.”
Expressing regret for the postponed engagements, the statement conveyed the Princess’s anticipation of reinstating as many as possible in the future. The announcement also clarified that the issue addressed in the surgery was non-cancerous.
Once discharged, Princess Kate is expected to recover at home in Windsor, where the Prince and Princess of Wales relocated in 2022. During her recovery, Prince William will reportedly reduce his public duties to provide support to his wife and care for their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Official duties for Prince William are expected to be put on hold during Princess Kate’s hospital stay and the early days of her home recovery.
The last public appearance of the Princess was on Christmas when she, along with Prince William and their three children, joined the royal family for their traditional walk to church at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Norfolk.
While Princess Kate had not yet returned to royal duties in 2024, Prince William made his first official outing of the new year last week at Headlingley Stadium in Leeds. During the event, he joined friends Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, who have been actively raising funds for Motor Neurone Disease research after Burrow’s diagnosis in December 2019.
