Why Prince William Is Returning to His Royal Duties Without Kate Middleton

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Prince William is heading back to work as his wife, Kate Middleton, and father, King Charles III, continue to recuperate from their medical procedures.

On Wednesday, the Prince of Wales will host an event on behalf of the monarch in Windsor, rewarding members of the public with special honors to mark Charles’s birthday and the start of the new year.

Later that day, William is scheduled to attend the annual fundraising gala for the London Air Ambulance—a cause close to his heart, as he was an air ambulance pilot for about two years in East Anglia, England. He also became patron of the organization four years ago.

The events will mark William’s first public engagement day since Buckingham Palace announced the news of the king’s medical procedure (treatment for his enlarged prostate) and Kensington Palace gave notice of Kate’s surgery.

Kate underwent a planned abdominal surgery late last month. She remained hospitalized for almost two weeks to recover from the procedure (the reason for which was not disclosed to the public), and returned home last Monday.

William stayed at Adelaide Cottage, on the Windsor Castle estate, with their three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five. Some days, he was pictured driving himself to visit Kate in the hospital.

Kensington Palace said last week that Kate, now home, was “making good progress.” A royal source also told Bazaar, “The Princess is in good spirits.”

“The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well-wishes they have received from around the world,” the palace statement said.

Kate’s last public engagement was in December, when she, William, and their three kids officially rang in the holidays with their annual Christmas Day service at Sandringham. The palace said the princess will likely not return to her public duties until after Easter, which falls on March 31 this year.

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