Prince William, the Prince of Wales, expressed his gratitude to the British public for their kind messages and support regarding his wife Kate’s recent surgery and his father King Charles’ cancer diagnosis as he returned to his official duties. William, 41, took the center stage for the royals, while his younger brother Prince Harry, who has distanced himself from the family, returned to the United States after a brief visit to their father.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you…for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all,” said William during a gala dinner for London’s Air Ambulance Charity. The event was the Prince’s second public appearance on that day. He had postponed all engagements to focus on his three children after Kate, 42, underwent planned abdominal surgery and spent two weeks in the hospital recovering.
Amidst his wife’s health concerns and his father’s treatment for an enlarged prostate, William and his wife Queen Camilla are expected to take on additional public duties to represent the monarchy. Royal author Robert Hardman noted that William had already assumed substantial state duties towards the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign when her mobility was limited.
“In that regard, it’s not that different, but obviously there’s the burden of expectation,” said Hardman. “On many occasions, he will have to stand in, he’ll be sort of quasi head of state in much the same way that Prince Charles was when the queen was infirm.”
Prince Harry, 39, who has been at odds with many members of the royal family since stepping down from royal duties, had a brief meeting with his father after being informed of his cancer diagnosis. However, there were no plans for him to see his elder brother William during his visit to Britain. After only a short stay in the country, Harry returned to California where he now lives with his wife Meghan and their two children.
Despite his health condition, King Charles intends to continue with his private work as monarch and will handle state papers. Buckingham Palace has not disclosed further details about the king’s condition, except that it is not prostate cancer. The palace stated that the king remains “wholly positive” and looks forward to resuming his public duties as soon as possible.
