The Princess of Wales’s ‘unwavering commitment’ to the nation will spur her on to continue her royal work from bed as she recovers from major surgery.
Kate, 42, is said to be ‘doing well’ after going under the knife for her abdominal operation at London Clinic near Regent’s Park this week.
She is expected to spend another week in hospital before being moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor to regain her strength following the medical procedure.
Palace insiders say the recovering royal is keen to return to work ‘as soon as possible’ but is now juggling looking after her three children with husband Prince William, 42.
A royal source said that right now, Kate and William were putting ‘family first, day job second’ as they try and maintain a sense of ‘normality’ for Princes George, 10, and Louis, five, and their eight-year-old sister, Princess Charlotte.
‘The kids are always at the centre of their universe. That will continue to be the case. They want to make sure they have as much normality as possible going forwards,’ a source told The Times.
The news comes as palace officials tonight sought to dismiss speculation that Prince William was due to become the first British monarch in five centuries to break official ties with the Church of England.
It is thought that the Princess of Wales will resume working in a reduced capacity once she is discharged from hospital. The Wales’ are nevertheless said to be focusing on family
It has been revealed that Prince William will not seek to alter the status of the Church of England when he becomes King, despite being less religious than his father or grandmother
King Charles is to undergo a ‘corrective procedure’ for an ‘enlarged prostate’ next week, meaning that two major royal figures will be indisposed for the immediate future
Prince Harry has remained silent over his father and sister-in-law’s health. Here, he is pictured accepting his award as a Living Legend of Aviation at the glitzy awards ceremony in Los Angeles last night
Speculation was rife this week in royal circles over whether or not the heir to the throne would take on the title of ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England when he becomes King.
William is said to greatly admire and respect the Church, and enjoys attending services at significant times of the year, such as Christmas and Easter.
But he feels he is no different to the average Briton in that he is not a regular worshipper.
And that has led to speculation as to whether he may consider not taking on the formal role that British monarchs have held since the time of Henry VIII.
The reigning monarch doubles as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. While this is now a largely symbolic and ceremonial role, the position means that the monarch formally appoints high-ranking clergymen.
Sources claimed to The Times that ‘the conversation had never come up’ about William cutting ties and abandoning the role.
Kate has wiped her diary clean for the next few months and is not expected to resume official duties until after Easter.
Meanwhile, William has signalled that he will ‘combine being by his wife’s and children’s side throughout’, postponing all his imminent engagement’s until Kate is back on her feet.
Kate’s recovery comes as King Charles faces his own health woes, with his Royal Highness set to visit hospital next week to receive treatment for an ‘enlarged prostate’. Aides say that the King’s condition is ‘benign’ and that he will receive a corrective procedure.
The Princess of Wales, who recently launched a new campaign is likely to continue working in a manner consistent with her recovery
Queen Camilla, who was seen on Thursday undertaking engagements in Aberdeen, is continuing to work while her husband prepares for his procedure
Princess Anne, who was the second most active royal in terms of official engagements last year, may well be called upon even more in the coming weeks
The Princess of Wales is likely to continue working in a manner consistent with her recovery following her discharge from the private London Clinic.
She recently launched a campaign to raise awareness around the importance of the first five years’ of a child’s life, dubbed Shaping Us.
While she will not be conducting official engagements and will have her calendar cleared, she is highly likely to continue showing interest in her campaigns.
‘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.
An official visit to Italy, set for March, has also been put off.
William has meanwhile begun to focus on family while Catherine is in hospital, with the approach taken by the Wales’ being described as ‘100 per cent family first, day job second.’
William is understood to now be covering both dropping-off and picking-up his three children from school.
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.
Police outside the London Clinic, the private clinic where the Princess of Wales is currently recovering from her surgery
Prince William has visited his wife in hospital, and is understood to now be doing both the drop-off and pick-up for their three children
With both King Charles and the Wales’ out of action for the immediate future, it is likely that other members of the royal family will have to step up
Prince Harry is seen at a glitzy Beverly Hills bash on Friday night with Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe
The prince is seen arriving for Friday’s event in Los Angeles. It is rumoured he heard about his family’s ill-health via the media
The temporary loss of the King, Kate and William has thrown a spanner in the works for the royal engagement calendar.
The Princess of Wales undertook 134 official engagements last year, while William took 179. It is possible that the Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Anne, who undertook 179 and 410, will have to step up.
Charles – a known workaholic – often stays late at his desk dealing with his correspondence and official papers, but has generally enjoyed good health and keeps fit by walking and gardening.
The 75-year-old monarch – who held the record for being the nation’s longest serving heir apparent – acceded to the throne in September 2022 on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who was head of state for 70 years.
Queen Camilla may also seek to fill any gaps that might emerge. She was seen on Thursday opening a new ‘Safe Space’ at Aberdeen Art Gallery, an initiative to provide help to those living with domestic abuse.
Asked about the King by the Lord Provost, Camilla replied: ‘He’s fine, thank-you very much. Looking forward to getting back to work.’
Charles was spotted returning to the Sandringham royal estate in Norfolk with Camilla yesterday afternoon to rest ahead of his surgery in hospital next week.
It was the first time the 75-year-old King has been seen since the double royal health scare 48 hours ago on Wednesday afternoon that shocked the nation.
Across the Atlantic, reports suggested that Prince Harry may have heard about his father’s condition through the news before he was formally informed by the Palace.
The suggestion came the day before it was reported that Harry and his uncle, Prince Andrew, were being further sidelined within the royal family.
King Charles has introduced a provision to prevent the pair from acting as stand ins for him.
With the Counsellors of State Act 2022, Charles added the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh to the list of counsellors of state.
It was confirmed in a statement that only working members would be called upon to act for Charles, meaning that neither Harry nor Prince Andrew could do so.
Harry has not yet commented on his father and sister-in-law’s ailments and he spent last night at a glitzy Beverly Hills bash where he was honoured as a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’.
He was in high spirits as he joined Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, a 46-year-old minor German royal and cousin of outgoing Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, and others at the Beverly Hills Hilton.
The Duke of Sussex was presented with the prestigious award by Hollywood star and private pilot John Travolta.