Prince William, Kate Middleton make important announcement

Prince William to Resume Royal Duties Following Princess Kate's Cancer Diagnosis

The Prince of Wales, Prince William, is expected to return to his royal duties soon, following the announcement of his wife, Princess Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis last month. According to media reports, Prince William will carry out his first public engagement on Thursday, April 18, with scheduled visits to Surrey and West London.

Royal Engagements and Community Visits

Citing a statement from Kensington Palace, NBC News reported that Prince William will be visiting West London and the neighboring county of Surrey to highlight the work of community and environmental impact organizations. Additionally, he is set to visit a food redistribution charity and a youth center during the day, as part of his public engagements.

First Public Appearance Since the Diagnosis

Earlier, CNN had reported that Prince William would resume public duties once their children returned to school. On April 12, Prince William was seen making his first public appearance since the diagnosis, attending a football match between Aston Villa and Lille with his son, Prince George. The 41-year-old heir to the British throne was pictured smiling and clapping alongside George, 10, as Aston Villa won 2-1 in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.

Family Time Amidst Difficult News

Prince William and Princess Kate did not attend the Easter Sunday service hosted by King Charles this year, nor did they join other members of the royal family for the traditional Easter gathering at Windsor. Instead, they spent the holiday with their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Princess Kate’s Cancer Diagnosis

Princess Kate made her cancer diagnosis public in a heartfelt video shared on March 22. She revealed that she was diagnosed with cancer following an abdominal surgery in January. Although the cancer is reportedly unrelated to the surgery, the specific type of cancer has not been disclosed.

In her message, the 42-year-old Princess said:

“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.”

She also shared that she is undergoing "preventive" chemotherapy and added:

"As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment."