Kate Middleton went to the hospital for an abdominal surgery on Tuesday, January 16. Kensington Palace revealed that the surgery had been planned ahead of time, and it was “successful.” Still, the palace reported that Kate would have to stay at the hospital for 10 to 14 days as she recovers. In the statement, the Princess of Wales, 42, also apologized as she’d be postponing many of her public engagements for the time being.
Kensington Palace announced that she’d be taking time away from her public duties until the end of March. “Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” they said. “The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise 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.”
The palace also shared a request for privacy as she recovers and will only share updates periodically. “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes 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,” it said. “Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.”
The details of what type of surgery the Princess underwent are not clear, but it does seem that she’s expected to make a full recovery. The surgery came just a week after Kate celebrated her 42nd birthday, which was on January 9.
Besides her surgery, it was reported that Kate and her husband Prince William had moved passed drama with William’s brother, Prince Harry, and their sister-in-law Meghan Markle in late December. A source close to the Prince and Princess of Wales revealed that Kate was looking to the future rather than dwelling on the drama in a report from People. “She’s moved on and William has too,” they told the outlet. “She’s very focused on what matters going forward. They aren’t looking back.”