Prince William Returning to Public Duties for First Time Since Kate Middleton's Cancer Diagnosis
The Prince of Wales, who has been caring for his children following his wife's cancer diagnosis, will visit Surrey and West London on Thursday.
Prince William is getting ready to go back to work. Nearly a month after his wife Kate Middleton announced her cancer diagnosis following an abdominal surgery in January, the Prince of Wales, 41, is set to return to public royal duties this week.
William's office at Kensington Palace announced Tuesday, per Sky News, that the royal will visit Surrey and west London on Thursday, April 18 to highlight "the community and environmental impact organisations in the area are having through their work." William's day will begin in Sunbury-on-Thames at the food redistribution charity Surplus to Supper, where he will help volunteers who sort and redistribute food at the charity's hub at Sunbury Cricket Club. He will also join a team of chefs in the kitchen as they prepare meals. The prince will then head to a youth center in west London that benefits from the organization's deliveries.
William's return to his official duties aligns with previous statements from insiders, who indicated that the royal would get back to work after his three children -- Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 – returned to school. Per PEOPLE, their term starts on Wednesday, April 17. William had taken a step back from official engagement in recent months in order to care for his and Middleton's kids as the Princess of Wales focused on her health.
After Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that the Princess of Wales underwent a "planned abdominal surgery" and would remain "in the hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery," Middleton announced in a video message on March 22 that she was diagnosed with cancer. In the video, the princess said 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."
Amid Middleton's cancer diagnosis, as well as his father King Charles III's cancer diagnosis, William has canceled numerous engagements this year, including his decision to drop out of a memorial service at Windsor Castle. However, William has been spotted enjoying time with his children, the prince and his son George were seen attending an Aston Villa football game together on April 11, marking their first public outing since Kate's cancer announcement. William and Middleton, meanwhile, have also since returned to social media, on April 13 posting a statement following a stabbing attack at a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia.