Prince William Makes a Quiet Solo Outing After Returning to Work amid Kate Middleton's Cancer Treatment

The Prince of Wales attended a memorial service at Hereford Cathedral one day after his first public outing in several weeks

Prince William quietly attended a private event one day after he resumed public-facing royal duties following Kate Middleton's announcement that she is undergoing treatment for cancer.

On April 19, the Prince of Wales, 41, stepped out for the memorial service for Major Mike Sadler at Hereford Cathedral in Hereford, England, honoring the World War II veteran and last original member of the elite Special Air Service (SAS).

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace confirmed Prince William’s attendance at the private service for Sadler, who died in January at age 103.

Sadler was awarded the polar medal, military medal and military cross for his service, and he was remembered as a fearless desert navigator in his obituary in The New York Times. His exploits in the SAS were recapped in the book Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain’s Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre, which went on to inspire the historical drama SAS: Rogue Heroes on the BBC.

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The memorial service came the day after Prince William stepped out for his first royal engagements in several weeks. After Princess Kate announced on March 22 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer, the Prince of Wales took time off to spend private time with his wife and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, who were on a school break.

On April 18, the royal stepped out to visit food redistribution charity Surplus to Supper followed by a stop at Hanworth Centre Hub, a youth center that regularly receives deliveries from Surplus to Supper.

During the outing, the Prince of Wales was surprised with cards for his wife and father, King Charles. The Princess of Wales, 42, and the King, 75, have both postponed public-facing duties while receiving cancer treatment, diagnoses that were announced seven weeks apart.

"Oh, some cards, you’re very kind. Thank you very much," Prince William told volunteer Rachel Candappa when she presented him with the cards in a video shared to X by Lizzie Robinson of ITV.

When Candappa, 71, told the royal to look after his wife, he placed a warm hand on her shoulder and said, "I will," The Telegraph reported.

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Prince William accepted more well-wishes for Kate at the Hanworth Centre Hub.

"We had a flower arrangement from the staff and one from the young people and volunteers. He was very thankful that we were asking after her," Siobhan Donoghue, CEO of Perfectly Imperfect CIC, one of the groups who receive provisions from Surplus to Supper, exclusively tells PEOPLE.

However, the royal kept his attention on the organization's work to reduce food waste.

"You could see he very much wanted to focus on us and genuinely learn how we impact the community we serve," Donoghue says. "He said to the young people that they had really helped give him that picture of what we do and how important it is to the community."

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The Princess of Wales may have strategically waited to make the announcement about her cancer diagnosis until her children were out of the classroom to create space for their family to have private time together, and her husband stepped out the day after George, Charlotte and Louis went back to school.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson previously said the Prince of Wales "will continue to balance supporting his wife and family and maintaining his official duties as he has done since the start of the year."

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