After nearly two weeks in a London hospital following abdominal surgery, Kate Middleton returned home on Monday. “The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery,” Kensington Palace said in a statement. “She is making good progress.”
The princess’s last public appearance took place during the royal family’s church outing on Christmas. Her health issues were made public on January 17, one day after she underwent a procedure at the London Clinic, a private hospital in Marylebone. Describing the abdominal surgery as “planned,” the palace added that the princess would remain an inpatient at the hospital for up to two weeks and would likely not return to royal duties until after the Easter holidays in late March. They declined to share further information about the condition that led to her surgery and lengthy hospital stay, though a royal source told Vanity Fair that it was “non-cancerous.”
She will recuperate at Adelaide Cottage, the home on Windsor Home Park she shares with Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Prince William was photographed visiting his wife two days after her surgery, and The Sun reported that he continued to return to her bedside daily. Last Friday, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III underwent treatment for benign prostate enlargement at the same private hospital and visited Kate before his own procedure began.
Though the royal family are public advocates for the UK’s National Health Service, they often opt for private doctors to treat their health conditions. In their statement announcing that the princess had been discharged, Kensington Palace added a few words of praise for the hospital where the princess was an inpatient for 13 days. “The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided,” the statement read. “The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”