London, February 7 (Reuters) – Prince William expressed his gratitude to the British public for their supportive messages concerning his wife Kate’s recent surgery and his father King Charles’s cancer diagnosis as he resumed his official duties on Wednesday.
Stepping into the spotlight for the royal family, Prince Harry, William’s younger brother who has distanced himself from the family, was preparing to return to the United States after a brief visit to their father.
“I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, particularly in these recent days. It truly means a lot to all of us,” said William, aged 41, the Prince of Wales.
“In recent weeks, there’s been a rather ‘medical’ focus, so I thought I’d attend an air ambulance event to take a break from it all,” he shared at a gala dinner for London’s Air Ambulance Charity, graced by Hollywood actor Tom Cruise among other guests.
This occasion marked the future king’s second official appearance of the day, returning to work after postponing engagements to care for his three children following Kate’s planned abdominal surgery on January 16. Kate, 42, spent two weeks in the hospital recuperating.
During this period, his father received treatment at the same hospital for an enlarged prostate, and Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that subsequent tests revealed he had a form of cancer.
With the king scaling back public duties for outpatient treatment and Kate expected to resume engagements after Easter, much of the royal spotlight now falls on William and Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, to represent the monarchy.
Royal author Robert Hardman noted William’s prior experience in assuming state duties towards the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, particularly when she faced mobility issues.
“In that sense, it’s somewhat familiar, but of course, there’s a greater sense of responsibility,” Hardman told Reuters. “He’ll frequently need to stand in, essentially acting as the quasi head of state, much like Prince Charles did when the queen was indisposed.”
On Tuesday, the king returned with Camilla to Sandringham House, his residence in eastern England, following a brief encounter of about 30 minutes with son Harry, who flew in upon learning of his father’s cancer diagnosis.
Harry, 39, has had strained relations with many members of the royal family since stepping away from royal duties nearly four years ago and openly criticizing the monarchy.
A royal insider mentioned no plans for him to meet his elder brother William during his visit. After spending approximately 24 hours in Britain, Harry was spotted at Heathrow Airport, presumably flying back to California, where he resides with his wife Meghan and their two children.
Despite the diagnosis, Charles intends to continue with much of his private duties as monarch, including handling state affairs. He was scheduled to speak with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak via phone on Wednesday, according to Sunak’s spokesperson.
Buckingham Palace has not disclosed details of the condition except to clarify it was not prostate cancer, but emphasized that the king remains “entirely optimistic” and is looking forward to resuming public duties as soon as feasible.
