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Britain’s Prince William returned to public duty yesterday following his wife Kate’s surgery and the revelation King Charles had cancer, with the heir to the throne set to take on a more prominent role in his father’s absence.
William postponed all his planned engagements to look after his three children after Kate, 42, underwent planned abdominal surgery on January 16.
Since then, his father has undergone treatment at the same hospital as Kate for an enlarged prostate, before Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that subsequent tests on the 75-year-old monarch had revealed he had a form of cancer.
Yesterday, William, 41, made his first official public appearance since the series of health blows to the royals when he carried out an investiture – a ceremony to hand out state honours – at Windsor Castle and later attended a gala dinner for London’s Air Ambulance Charity.
With the king postponing public duties as he has out-patient treatment and Kate not expected to return to engagements until after Easter, the onus will be on the remaining royals especially William and Charles’ wife Queen Camilla, to provide the public face of the monarchy.
William thanked people for their kind messages following the news of his father’s condition. As he took centre stage for the royals, his younger brother Prince Harry, who has become estranged from his family, was set to return to the United States after a flying visit to see their father.
“We really appreciate everyone’s kind messages, thank you,” William said to media and well-wishers as he arrived for a gala dinner for London’s Air Ambulance Charity where the guests included Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.
The event was the heir to the throne’s second official public appearance yesterday on his return to work
Royal author Robert Hardman said William had already taken on substantial state duties towards the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign when she was hampered by mobility issues.
“In that regard, it’s not that different but obviously there’s the burden of expectation,” Hardman said. “On many occasions he will have to stand in, he’ll be sort of quasi head of state in much the same way that Prince Charles was when the queen was infirm.”
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