William returns to public royal duties following Kate’s operation

The Prince of Wales will carry out his first public engagements since the Princess of Wales underwent major abdominal surgery last month.

William had taken time off to support his family as Kate recovered first in hospital then returned home to Windsor to convalesce.

He will host an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday and that evening will attend the London Air Ambulance annual fundraising gala in central London, said Kensington Palace.

Kate left hospital last Monday and returned to Adelaide Cottage to be reunited with her three children, after undergoing the planned operation on January 16 at the London Clinic.

At the same private hospital, the King received treatment for an enlarged prostate and was discharged the same day as his daughter-in-law.

The exact details of the princess’s condition have not been revealed but the Palace said previously it was not cancer-related, and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.

William, 41, was due to return to royal engagements once Kate’s care and recovery had settled, but the 42-year-old future queen is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter.

The prince last carried out a major royal event more than three weeks ago, when he travelled to Leeds to make former Leeds Rhinos team mates, Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, each a CBE for raising funds and awareness for motor neurone disease.

Kate will be under the careful watch of royal doctors and also benefit from the London Clinic’s aftercare, with dedicated physiotherapists on hand with a personalised plan and a video check-up at home with a nurse specialist on offer.

NHS advice about recovering from abdominal surgery says that, after a major operation with a large incision, it takes two to three months to be able to move around comfortably.

But this will be quicker if the procedure was keyhole surgery.

William and their family are being supported by their staff, including loyal, long-standing nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.

Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and siblings, Pippa Matthews and James Middleton, are also expected to be hands-on in helping the Waleses navigate the next few months as the princess recovers.