Prince William's summer vacation—spent almost exclusively with his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children as the Princess of Wales continues her preventative cancer treatments—has come to an end.
On Aug. 22, Kensington Palace announced that Prince William will return to a full schedule of royal duties, starting with a public visit to the Homelessness: Reframed exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
The visit is scheduled to take place on Sept. 5, and with the aim of drawing attention to the display, which according to People "highlights the complexities of homelessness across the U.K and offers the public an opportunity to better understand the stories of individuals who have been affected."
According to the outlet, the Prince of Wales' visit will mark his first public outing since July 14, when Prince William attended the UEFA European Championship final alongside his son, Prince George.
While it is historically typical for senior royals to take a somewhat of a "break" from their many public engagements during the summer months, Prince William and Princess Kate have been particularly absent from the public eye following the Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis.
It wasn't until May—nearly five months after Middleton was hospitalized following abdominal surgery—that Prince William spent his first days and nights away from his family in order to attend obligatory royal engagements in both Newquay and the Isles of Scilly.
Shortly after the Princess of Wales announced she had been diagnosed with cancer, royal insiders said Prince William felt "helpless and scared," which no doubt influenced the royal's decision to alter his schedule in order to better support his wife and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
“William is trying to be there for Kate and helping in every way he can,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. “He’s been doing schoolwork with the kids and spending time with them in the afternoons and evenings.”
Meanwhile, reports have long-indicated that Princess Kate's return to public-facing royal life will be delayed, and potentially forever altered as she continues to prioritize her health and wellbeing over the needs of the monarchy.
In the wake of what many have referred to as the "toughest year" of Kate and Prince William's lives, the most recent reports indicate that Princess Kate may even walk away from her full-time royal duties altogether.
According to an insider who spoke to RadarOnline.com, Middleton "may never return" to her full-time role within the monarchy. The same source suggested that the Princess of Wales would "reevaluate" her role and the amount of duties she would resume following her cancer treatment.
"Catherine remains seriously unwell, is continuing her chemotherapy treatment and, while she is very conscious of her role, her priorities have understandably changed significantly," journalist Dan Wootton told the outlet.
"We’re not going to see a laid out series of engagements so if she can’t make one there’ll be a big drama about it," the source added.
