In March, the Princess of Wales shared a video explaining that she is undergoing cancer treatment following abdominal surgery at the start of the year. Kate addressed her health and recovery following weeks of conspiracy theories circulating online, and asked the public for privacy as she recovers.
Prince William had honoured a handful of royal commitments in February, including attending the BAFTAs, but following Kate's announcement he postponed his engagements and the family stepped back from royal events, such as the annual Easter service.
However, William officially returned to work this week with an appearance at a food distribution charity centre in Surrey. The Prince of Wales met staff and volunteers at Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames, a charitable initiative which provides redistributed food to various local projects such as food banks, schools and community organisations.
During his trip, he was given cards for Kate wishing her well, and in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) he can be seen saying to one volunteer: "Oh, some cards, you’re very kind. Thank you very much."
Volunteer Rachel Candappa gives the Prince of Wales cards for the King and Princess of Wales during his visit to Surplus for Supper. pic.twitter.com/ruGBiWXcLtApril 18, 2024
According to The Telegraph, when the volunteer told William to look after Kate, he simply replied: "I will."
It is unclear when Kate will return to work, but a source recently told People that she will begin to make public appearances again when she's ready. They told the publication: "She has the inner strength, the support of her husband and her extraordinary family, so she can focus on what’s important, which is her getting back to strength."
In the video shared last month, Kate explained: "In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.
"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. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment."
