Kate Middleton’s hospitalization has been international news. On January 17, Kensington Palace reassured the public in a statement that her “planned abdominal surgery” was “successful” and not a cause for concern. Shortly after the statement was released, her husband Prince William was seen going to visit her in the hospital. Nearly two weeks after the palace released a statement about her surgery, Kensington Palace released a statement to reveal that the Princess of Wales had returned home. It revealed that she was “making good progress” in her recovery.
Amid speculation over Kate’s whereabouts and Photoshop controversy — known as “#KateGate” — a report surfaced claiming that at least one staff member at the London Clinic where she was hospitalized attempted to access her health records.
On March 22, the Princess of Wales announced that she was diagnosed with cancer despite her surgery having gone well.
Here are all the updates about Kate’s recent surgery and past health concerns that she’s had.
A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024
Why Did Kate Middleton Undergo Abdominal Surgery?
On January 17, 2024, Kensington Palace released an unprecedented statement, revealing that the Princess of Wales was hospitalized.
“Her Royal Highness was admitted to hospital for planned abdominal surgery,” the palace’s 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’s statement continued, “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’ 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.”
According to multiple outlets, Kate’s operation was not cancerous nor life-threatening. It is still unclear why she underwent the “planned” procedure.
Shortly after the news of her hospitalization was revealed, photos of William leaving the hospital were caught by paparazzi. Sources also revealed that the Prince of Wales has also shifted his schedule around to support his wife and kids, according to a report from PEOPLE.
The outlet later reported that members close to the royal family were just as surprised as the public was when Kate was admitted to the hospital. While nothing seemed to be wrong with the Princess of Wales in December, those who work with the royals noticed that certain public engagements were left up in the air for her to attend, according to the publication. As for why she and the royals chose to keep her surgery private in comparison to King Charles III‘s surgery announcement, PEOPLE reported that her choice was in the palace’s statement: to maintain “as much normality” as possible for her children. Charles, however, chose to disclose the news of his operation to the public because it felt “sensible” to do so.
“It was sensible to be more open about it, as otherwise, people might have thought the worst,” a palace insider told the publication about Charles’ choice to inform the public.
How Is Kate Middleton’s Health Today?
After her surgery, sources also said that Kate was “doing well” in the PEOPLE report. Since the royal prefers to keep her personal information private, it appears that — in the public eye — she maintains a healthy lifestyle.
On January 29, Kensington Palace released a statement to reveal that Kate had returned home to continue her recovery. “She is making good progress. The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided. The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world,” Kensington Palace said.
The following week, Us Weekly reported that William is resuming his scheduled work duties to attend and host several upcoming events. However, it’s not currently clear whether that has been impacted by his father King Charles III‘s latest cancer diagnosis.
After William missed his late godfather’s memorial because of a “personal matter,” there were concerns it had to do with Kate’s health. However, Kensington Palace clarified that Kate “continues to do well” following her surgery in a statement obtained by NBC News on February 27.
Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith later weighed in on the princess’ health status. During his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother UK on March 6, Gary responded why his niece has not publicly discussed her operation.
“Because she doesn’t want to talk about it,” Gary said, before adding, “I spoke to her mum, my sister. She’s getting the best care in the world. All the family has done is put the wagons around and look after family first, before anything else.”
On March 10, Kate broke her silence in an Instagram statement, thanking her fans for their well wishes.
“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” she captioned an Instagram post.
Kate Middleton Was Diagnosed With Cancer
Following several weeks of her noticeable absence, Kate announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer in a video message.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful,” she pointed out before adding, “However, tests after theoperation 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.”