She is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter, and William had cleared his schedule to care for her.
This was soon followed by the shock news that Charles, the United Kingdom’s monarch who was coronated in May, was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer and was undergoing treatment.
Charles will continue to perform his formal constitutional duties as king, but has been advised to avoid public-facing duties while he undergoes treatment. It is expected that William, next in line to the throne, will step up and fill in for his father at certain occasions.
On Wednesday, William made his return to public duty, first performing an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, handing out more than 50 honors on behalf of his father.
“Honouring amazing people doing incredible things in our communities up and down the country,” the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales wrote.
Soccer player Ellen White was among the honorees, receiving an MBE from the Prince of Wales. “It was an incredible honor to receive an MBE so I feel very lucky,” White said, according to People. “I sent my best wishes to the King and obviously to Kate, the Princess of Wales as well. He was lovely. He really appreciated it. I just wanted to send my best wishes.”
That evening, William attended a gala fundraiser for London’s Air Ambulance Charity, where he made his first public statement regarding the health of Kate and Charles.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you… for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days,” William told the crowd. “It means a great deal to us all.”
“It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus… So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all,” he joked, getting laughs from the crowd.
William also thanked “fellow pilot” and Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, who was in attendance. “Tom, huge thanks for supporting us tonight,” William said.
“And Tom, if you wouldn’t mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next Mission: Impossible, it would be appreciated,” William joked, referencing Cruise’s stunt-heavy action franchise. “We have all seen on our screens that — how can I put it — you seem to have a different take on ‘normal wear and tear’ to the rest of us, it’s not the kind that buffs out.”
Watch William’s speech:
William did not offer any further details about his father’s cancer diagnosis. The news was announced via an official statement from Buckingham Palace on Monday, but did not specify what kind of cancer the king has or what stage it was (though they did specify that it was not prostate cancer, after the king received a treatment for an enlarged prostate).
But the statement projected optimism about Charles’ prognosis: “The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”
Charles, 75, was the oldest person to ever accede to the British throne in history, becoming king in September 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Prior to that, he was the longest-serving heir and Prince of Wales.
Charles was last seen being flown by helicopter to the royal Sandringham estate, where he will continue his cancer treatments in private. Prior to that, he met with Prince Harry at Clarence House, after his estranged son flew in from California to see him.
Harry’s visit was reportedly brief, and he did not meet with his William during his stay in London, suggesting longstanding tensions may remain between the brothers.
READ MORE: King Charles’ meeting with Prince Harry was kept short for one heartbreaking reason
Meanwhile, Kate continues to recover at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor following her surgery. Patricia Spruce, one of the honorees at Wednesday’s investiture ceremony, said that William briefly opened up about his wife’s recovery.
“Prince William said that Catherine had two Filipino nurses looking after her and they were amazing and kind,” Spruce wrote on Linkedin.
