Prince William Visits Kate Middleton in Hospital After Her Abdominal Surgery, Will Spend as 'Much Time as Possible'

The Prince of Wales was photographed leaving the private London Clinic on Thursday afternoon

Prince William is supporting his wife Kate Middleton in the hospital as she recovers from abdominal surgery.

On Thursday, the Prince of Wales, 41, paid a visit to his wife in the hospital after Kensington Palace announced on Wednesday that the Princess of Wales, 42, underwent a "planned abdominal surgery" the previous day.

Prince William was photographed leaving the private London Clinic at around 12:35 p.m. local time on Thursday. He drove himself to the hospital, according to U.K. newspaper The Telegraph.

Per the outlet, Prince William is understood to be planning to spend as much time as possible with Princess Kate as she recovers following her hospitalization and will balance daytime visits with looking after their three children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — at home in Windsor.

PEOPLE understands that Kate’s issue is non-cancerous and William has shifted his schedule to support his wife.

Related: Prince William Postpones Official Duties to Support Family amid Kate Middleton's Hospitalization

"The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery," the statement from Kensington Palace read. "Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private," the statement continued. "Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share."

"The Princess of Wales wishes to apologize to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible," they added.

Prince William is also expected to postpone some engagements to be by Kate’s side and support their family. It's understood that two upcoming planned international trips have been delayed.

Related: King Charles Reveals Treatment for Enlarged Prostate After Kate Middleton's Hospitalization News

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The Princess of Wales made her last public appearance on Christmas when she joined members of the royal family for their annual tradition of walking to church and greeting members of the public gathered outside after the service.

While the Princess of Wales had yet to return to royal duty in 2024, Prince William made his first official outing of the new year last week. At Headlingley Stadium in Leeds, he joined Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, two friends who have helped raise money for research and work to combat Motor Neurone Disease after Burrow was diagnosed with MND in December 2019.

Just hours after Kensington Palace revealed the news about Princess Kate's surgery, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles "sought treatment for an enlarged prostate."

They continued that the King, 75, will "attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," adding that the condition is "benign."

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