Prince William is staying close by his wife Princess Kate’s side as she recovers from having abdominal surgery. The Prince of Wales, 41, was seen in new photos leaving the hospital where Kate, 42, has been staying since undergoing the scheduled operation. William was photographed on January 18 in the driver’s seat alongside another passenger, while another car — seemingly his security team — followed them.
The day beforehand, Kensington Palace released an official statement online, announcing that the Princess of Wales had been hospitalized for a “planned” procedure.
“Her Royal Highness was admitted to hospital for planned abdominal surgery,” the palace’s January 17 statement read. “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 palace also emphasized Kate’s wish for privacy from the public eye during this time.
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the statement continued. “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.”
William and Kate share their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis together.
Kate’s surgery occurred just one week after she celebrated her 42nd birthday. It is still unclear why she needed the operation, but fans are anxiously awaiting to see the royal reappear when she makes a full recovery. According to multiple outlets, this type of operation could take anywhere up to three months to fully recover.
Per NBC News, William has postponed all of his “official duties” while Kate remains in the hospital and “will not undertake” any others “during the immediate period following her return home.”