Prince William Returns to Royal Duties Weeks After Kate Middleton’s Health Update

One month after Kate Middleton shared her cancer diagnosis, Prince William returned to his royal duties with a visit to a food bank and youth center in London.

By Brahmjot Kaur Apr 18, 2024 12:30 PMTags
Watch: Prince William Returns to Royal Work After Kate Middleton’s Health Update

Prince William is back to business.

Nearly one month after Kate Middleton shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer and had started preventative chemotherapy, the Prince of Wales returned to his official royal duties, visiting the foodbank Surplus to Supper and a nearby youth center in west London and Surrey on April 18.

"Joining the inspirational @surplustosupper and seeing how they redistribute 25,000 meals a year across Surrey and West London," the royal said in a statement posted to his official Instagram account April 18. "A brilliant model for sustainability, fresh food that would otherwise have gone to waste is redistributed for free to support foodbanks, schools, care homes, shelters, clubs and religious organizations across the local community."

William's royal outing comes one week after he joined his and Kate's eldest son Prince George, 10, at the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final match between Aston Villa and Lille OSC at Villa Park in Birmingham. George, donning an Aston Villa scarf, was spotted cheering on the soccer club alongside his dad.

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Kate Middleton & Prince William's Best Moments

Kensington Palace first announced that Kate—who also shares kids Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, with William—had undergone a planned abdominal surgery in January. But little update was provided until the Princess of Wales posted a video in March giving insight into her health battle.

"I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery," she explained. "It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family."

While William hasn't publicly spoken about her health, Kate, 42, couldn't help but reflect on his support during this difficult time.

Alastair Grant-WPA Pool/Getty Images

"This, of course, came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family." she continued. "Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance."

Keep reading to stay up to date on royal news around the world.

Returning to Public Duties

On April 26, nearly three months after sharing his cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles will return to public-facing duties

Queen Camilla Attends Royal Maundy Service

The queen consort attended the Royal Maundy Service on March 28 in place of King Charles III, making her the first spouse of the Monarch to continue the ancient tradition.

Kate Middleton Shares Cancer Diagnosis

In a March 22 video message, the Princess of Wales shared that she'd been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January.

"It was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful," she said before noting that tests after the operation found cancer had been present. "My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment."

Kate Middleton Apologizes for Edited Family Photo Controversy

After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored. 

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."

Lady Kitty Spencer Privately Welcomes Baby

Princess Diana's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby.

“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. "Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today."

Queen Camilla Takes a Break

After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule.

The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.

Thomas Kensington Dies at 45

The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.

King Charles Diagnosed With Cancer

While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer.

"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."

Sarah Ferguson Is Diagnosed With a Second Type of Cancer

The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark Abdicates the Throne

On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th

Kate Middleton Is Hospitalized

Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.

"Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

Prince William Adjusting His Schedule

Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

King Charles III Undergoing Treatment

Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."

"His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."

Luxembourg Welcomes a New Baby

Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!

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