Prince William makes his next move as Princess of Wales continues cancer treatment
Source: X
Four weeks after the Princess of Wales shared the devastating news she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy, Prince William is about to take a significant step.
After an extended break over Easter to spend time with Kate, 42, and their three children, George, 10, Charlotte, eight and Louis, five, William will officially return to royal duties on Thursday.
He will visit two food charities in Surrey and a youth centre in west London.
The announcement, via Kensington Palace, marks a milestone in William’s responsibilities to the monarchy, as his father, the King, has also stepped away from public-facing duties after a cancer diagnosis.
This left a small group of senior royals to continue the Crown’s work, including most recently, the Duke of Edinburgh and 14th in line to the throne, who oversaw an historic Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace last week.
Source: Royal Family Live
The news “sparked a fan frenzy”, according to London tabloid Daily Mirror, which claimed fans have “missed” the heir to the throne and can’t wait for him to resume his public engagements.
“Splendid … the children have gone back to school and official engagements resume,” wrote one royal watcher on X (formerly Twitter).
Some saw it as a positive sign Kate is continuing to recover after cancer was discovered when she had major abdominal surgery in January.
“It will be lovely to see him back. Hopefully, the Princess of Wales is recovering well.”
Will’s first stop will be a food redistribution charity, Surplus to Supper, in Sunbury-on-Thames. He will then head to an unnamed youth centre that benefits from the organisation’s regular deliveries.
He will meet volunteers who sort and redistribute food at the charity’s hub at the Sunbury Cricket Club, and help them load deliveries into vans.
He will also lend a hand in the kitchen by joining the team of chefs as they prepare meals.
“Protecting the environment for future generations is one of the Prince of Wales’ key priorities,” Kensington Palace said.
Princess Kate made her cancer announcement after weeks of conspiracy theories on social media about her health. Photo: AAP
On March 22, Kate appealed for time, space and privacy for her family when she announced in a bombshell video message that she had begun treatment for an unspecific cancer.
Her announcement attempted to end weeks of intense speculation and conspiracy theories on social media about the whereabouts and health of the future queen.
Kate’s statement, which followed frenzied speculation about her health, coincided with school holidays for the Wales children. They returned to their school, near the family’s home on the Windsor Castle estate, on Wednesday.
In the statement, the princess said she and her family needed “some time, space and privacy” to deal with her diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
William’s last public engagements were a few days before the video message. This week’s return comes after four weeks out of the spotlight.
“This, of course, came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate announced last month.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time.
“It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.
“But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.”
The princess’s cancer was discovered in post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery.
Prince William and Prince George watch their football team, Aston Villa. Photo: Getty
Another sign Kate is on the mend
Not only does William’s return to work signal that Kate is possibly on the mend, his appearance at an Aston Villa football match last week with eldest son, George, was also seen as a positive.
The pair were spotted in the grandstand cheering on William’s football team Aston Villa at Birmingham’s Villa Park on April 11, in their first public outing since Kate’s announcement.
In another optimistic sign for the family, William was also reportedly spotted with Carole Middleton, “popping into a pub” in North Norfolk.
