The Princess of Wales has been reunited with her three children for the first time in two weeks after finally leaving hospital.
Kate, who is said by Kensington Palace to be ‘doing well’, left The London Clinic in Marylebone yesterday morning after being admitted for surgery on January 16.
King Charles was also discharged yesterday after surgery for an enlarged prostate, with the two royals leaving the central London hospital within hours of each other.
The King has been advised to avoid public engagements for up to a month, although he will be working through his red boxes of state papers almost immediately. Kate, 42, is unlikely to be seen in public until after Easter.
The Mail can reveal that Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis were not taken to visit their mother in hospital after she recovered from what has been described as ‘abdominal surgery’.
Kate is expected to have reunited with her children this afternoon after they returned from school. Pictured: The family arrive to attend the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham
Two police officers stand guard outside The London Clinic in Marylebone this morning
Royal aides at Kensington Palace said the Princess of Wales was ‘making good progress’
Flowers left for Kate by a wellwishers are seen being taken back to Windsor by a royal aide
Kate’s children did not visit her while she was recovering from surgery, and would only have seen her this afternoon after school. Pictured: Together in April 2023
William, Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in early December
As her children would have been in school when she arrived back at her Windsor home, it is likely they would only have seen her for the first time when they returned to Adelaide Cottage later in the afternoon from Lambrook School, a ten-minute drive away.
It will almost certainly be the longest period the Princess has been away from them.
William and Kate have both prioritised their children over everything, arranging engagements so at least one is able to do the school run where possible.
They have also ensured that foreign tours are shorter to allow them to be home at weekends, the only exception being their 2022 trip to the Caribbean.
It is understood that Prince William, who had cleared his diary to be by his wife’s side throughout, was at the hospital when she was discharged and is likely to have driven her home.
In a statement yesterday, a Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. 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.’
It is thought the princess left through a private exit at around 11am in a car with her husband.
Prince William leaves the London Clinic in Marylebone after visiting his wife Kate on January 18
Prince William wants to spend time by his wife’s side as she convalesces. They are seen at Bisham Abbey on Mental Health Day in October
King Charles walks out of The London Clinic today following a three night stay in hospital after prostate surgery
A beaming Charles waves as he is driven away. The King was twice visited by Queen Camilla yesterday, the third and fourth times she has been to see him at the private hospital since they arrived
Kensington Palace staff were seen leaving half an hour later, one with an arrangement of white orchids in their car.
Kate will now recuperate at home and her return to official duties will depend on medical advice closer to the time.
It has been suggested she might not be able to undertake public duties until after Easter, meaning all planned engagements – including two foreign trips – have been cancelled, although aides hope they can be rearranged.
It is understood William plans to restart public engagements once his wife is settled and recuperating at home, with further details to be announced.
He has had help from the couple’s nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo, and his in-laws, Michael and Carole Middleton, who will continue to lend a hand.
Kensington Palace said they will not discuss the princess’ condition any further and that it is her ‘wish’ for her personal medical information to remain private.
King Charles, however, made a very public exit from hospital yesterday with his wife, Queen Camilla, who has visited him daily and spent hours at his bedside.
The 75-year-old monarch scotched claims there had been fears for his health, smiling broadly and waving to the public and media as he left at 3pm. His condition is benign.
The 75-year-old monarch left the hospital with Queen Camilla by his side
The Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and the Princess of Wales during the Royal Carols – Together At Christmas service at Westminster Abbey in December
King Charles and Kate (seen together at the Royal Albert Hall) have a warm relationship, and he visited her on Friday morning before his operation
He went to his car without a sign of discomfort, even winding down the window to smile and wave again.
The King has been praised for his openness about his diagnosis in the hope it will encourage other men to come forward and seek help. One in three men his age experiences prostate problems.
NHS England said the ‘enlarged prostate’ page on its website received one visit every five seconds on the day the King’s diagnosis was announced, with further boosts in the following days.
Camilla had previously said her husband is ‘fine’ and looking forward to getting back to work.
Buckingham Palace said yesterday: ‘The King has rescheduled forthcoming public engagements to allow for a period of private recuperation.
‘He would like to thank the medical team and all those involved in supporting his hospital visit, and is grateful for all the kind messages he has received in recent days.’
Kate went into The London Clinic 14 days ago on Tuesday, January 16 – with royal sources saying she was ‘making good progress’ and would now continue her recovery from home.
Charles visited Kate last Friday morning before his operation and has also been visited by his wife Queen Camilla four times at the hospital in in Marylebone.
King Charles was driven to Clarence House on Thursday after arriving from Norfolk by helicopter
Queen Camilla (centre) was also seen with Charles at the Marylebone Clinic
The 75-year-old monarch was admitted last Friday morning at about 9am as he underwent a corrective procedure for the benign condition.
The road had been cleared but a large crowd of children and onlookers had gathered to watch as they got into a waiting car.
There was a strong presence of uniformed police officers who stood guard as the royal couple were driven away.
The King was twice visited by Queen Camilla yesterday, the third and fourth times she has been to see him at the private hospital since they arrived.
The King arrived in London from Norfolk last Thursday, ready for the procedure after squeezing in a couple of behind-the-scenes official duties.
He was diagnosed with the benign condition on January 17 while staying at Birkhall, Aberdeenshire, after going for a check-up because he was experiencing symptoms.
News of his diagnosis came on the same day that Kensington Palace announced the princess was in hospital.
Kate’s long road to recovery: How Princess of Wales plans to ‘work from bed’ at Windsor and won’t be doing the school run as she recovers from abdominal surgery – with royal duties ruled out until Easter
The Princess of Wales is out of hospital after abdominal surgery, but experts say her road to recovery at home has only just begun.
Kate, 42, left The London Clinic after 14 days, and is now back home at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Great Park, surrounded by her husband and three doting children.
While Palace insiders have said she is keen to return to work ‘as soon as possible’, it won’t be back to normal yet for the Princess, with her and Prince William’s current focus ‘100 per cent family first, day job second’.
The royal will not carry out official engagements until after Easter and could undertake any necessary work from her bed, with her return to public duties depending on medical advice closer to the time, understands.
Her husband Prince William will take on additional parenting responsibilities and has cleared his diary of official duties as she recovers, only returning to public engagements once she is settled.
The Princess of Wales is out of hospital after abdominal surgery, but experts say her road to recovery at home has only just begun. Kate is pictured in May last year
As news that Kate had been discharged emerged, a Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. 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.’
There were previously concerns that the length of Kate’s stint in the exclusive London Clinic suggested the procedure was ‘serious’.
The exact details of the princess’s condition have not been revealed but the Palace said previously it was not cancer-related and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.
While bed rest is advisable for anyone recovering from invasive surgery, doctors also highlight the importance of sitting up to avoid muscle wastage and gradually trying to get back to an active lifestyle, in accordance with your condition.
But she is likely to be avoiding any strenuous activities for the time being, with William understood to be covering both dropping-off and picking-up their three children from school.
The heir to the throne is said to be a ‘hands-on’ father and is regularly seen the school gates at Lambrook School in Berkshire, with insiders saying he ‘won’t be fazed’ about parenting Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis as his wife recovers.
Police stand outside The London Clinic today where Kate Middleton has been treated
Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton and siblings Pippa Matthews and James Middleton are also expected to help the Waleses navigate the next few months as the princess recovers.
The family live in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor’s Home Park and are being supported by their staff, including loyal, long-standing nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.
NHS advice about recovering from abdominal surgery says that, after a major operation with a large incision, it takes two to three months to be able to move around comfortably.
But this will be quicker if the procedure was keyhole surgery.
Patients who have major abdominal surgery are urged to avoid lifting anything heavier than the weight of a full kettle – around 4.4lb-6.6lb (2kg-3kg).
It can also take two years for the strength of the abdominal wall to return to its previous condition.
Sitting and standing exercises are recommended to build strength, with an aim of walking gradually each day, increasing distance to reach 30 minutes daily within two to three months.
Downing Street welcomed Kate’s discharge from hospital, with the Prime Minister official spokesman telling reporters at a Westminster briefing as the news broke: ‘That would be welcome news both to the royal family and I’m sure to the public more widely.’
Among the engagements the princess will miss over the coming weeks are the Baftas in February, the annual Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey, and the St David’s Day Parade at the start of March, as well as the St Patrick’s Day parade with the military later the same month.
Aides insist the princess will be out of sight over the next few months but is likely to be working behind the scenes on her early years projects.
She recently launched a campaign to raise awareness around the importance of the first five years’ of a child’s life, dubbed Shaping Us.
‘Her passion for the early years is clear, there will be a huge continuation of that campaign and she will be keen to be out continuing that conversation with the nation as soon as possible,’ an aide told The Times.
Engagements with the Princess of Wales’ 30 charities and patronages are being cancelled, rescheduled or postponed while she recuperates.
Official overseas tours for William and Kate, including a scheduled trip to Italy in March, are also off the table for the time being.
As she recovers, Kate is expected to have ‘lots of care and support at home,’ a source close to the royal household told PEOPLE.
They added that the Princess is ‘a fit young woman’ and that they are ‘sure she will bounce back.’
Additional reporting: Elena Salvoni