Prince William has visited his wife Kate at the private London Clinic where she is recuperating from abdominal surgery.
The visit on Thursday came as the Princess of Wales was said to be “doing well” after a comfortable night in hospital recovering from major surgery.
Kate was admitted to the London Clinic in Marylebone on Tuesday for what Kensington Palace described as a planned procedure and is expected to remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days. It said the princess, 42, is unlikely to resume royal duties before Easter, meaning scheduled trips to Latvia and later to Rome and the Vatican are almost certain to be postponed.
It is understood that Kate’s condition was not cancerous, but details of the procedure were not disclosed.
William has postponed some duties so that he can care for their children George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five, and his wife on her return to their Windsor home to recuperate.
His priority, sources have said, will be the children and not royal duties. It is understood the princess is expected receive family visits over the next few days but at the moment she is resting and recovering.
Her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were believed to have visited her in hospital today. They and her siblings, Pippa Matthews and James Middleton, are set to support her recovery at Adelaide Cottage.
The “significant” palace announcement about Kate on Wednesday came shortly before it was disclosed that the King was also due to be admitted to hospital for treatment for a benign enlarged prostate. The announcements came within 90 minutes of each other, with Kensington Palace coming first at 2pm and Buckingham Palace following at 3.30pm.
It means that three of the most senior royals will be away from duties in the coming weeks. Prince Andrew and Prince Harry are no longer working royals so more responsibility will fall on Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie. Royal aides will provide a revised schedule for William in due course.
Kate was admitted to the London Clinic, rather than King Edward VII’s Hospital in Marylebone, which usually cares for the royal family.
A spokesman said: “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’s 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.”
Kate usually enjoys good health but was admitted to hospital with severe morning sickness while pregnant.
