Prince William will return to royal frontline duties on Wednesday as his father King Charles III undergoes treatment for cancer and his wife Kate Middleton recovering from surgery.
The king’s shock cancer diagnosis was announced on Monday, and Catherine’s abdominal operation has left William shouldering a heavy royal burden.
William, 41, Charles’s eldest son and heir to the throne, postponed public engagements to care for his wife, the Princess of Wales, and their three children after she was admitted to hospital on January 16.
But he will be back at work on Wednesday, handing out honors awarded to citizens for good deeds at Windsor Castle before attending the London Air Ambulance annual fundraising gala in central London.
He is also expected to take on some of his father’s duties while he undergoes treatment, with fellow senior royals Princess Anne and Charles’s wife Queen Camilla helping to share the load.
Buckingham Palace has not specified the type of cancer afflicting the 75-year-old monarch, although it is understood not to be prostate cancer.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it had been “caught early”.
The diagnosis comes just 17 months into his reign following the death of his 96-year-old mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022.
Adding to the drama, the king’s estranged son Prince Harry flew into the UK from his US home on Tuesday.
Shortly afterward, a relaxed-looking Charles was seen leaving his Clarence House residence in London for Sandringham, his country estate in eastern England.
The news sparked immediate speculation it could catalyze to heal the family tensions that have blighted the start of Charles’s reign.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, however, described the rift between Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, and the rest of the royal family as “very deep”.
Harry has a particularly fractious relationship with brother William.
Kate is expected to be out of action until at least March 31, her Kensington Palace office said.
Officials have not given details of her surgery except to say it was not linked to cancer.
The King won plaudits for being open about his condition, a break from tradition for a family that is renowned for being extremely discrete about personal health issues.
