From the outside looking in, it often seems the Royal Family is above the kinds of petty concerns that affect the rest of us. Every now and then, though, something unexpected happens that reminds us that the royals are only human. Certainly, “only human” is how Kate Middleton is feeling as she recovers in the hospital.
The reason Kate landed in the hospital was very surprising, and her biggest fans were also surprised that she has spent so much time there. Furthermore, her hospitalization has affected everything from her royal duties to her relationship with Prince William. What’s been going on with Kate, and why has all of it proven so shocking to Prince William? Keep reading to find out!
Why is Kate in the hospital? The official reason
We don’t yet know exactly what Kate Middleton’s medical issue was that sent her to The London Clinic. The official statements made by Kensington Palace merely indicated this as an “abdominal procedure.” The statements also clarified that she would need to recover for up to 14 days before she is released.
Many have naturally begun to question what was going on with Kate that would have required such major surgery. According to the Palace, this was a planned procedure, which would presumably rule out Kate having a sudden and unexpected medical emergency. However, the bombshell revelation that it may take her months to recover at home after leaving the hospital (more on this soon) has us wondering if the medical issue is more severe than the Royal Family is letting on.
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How is Kate’s recovery going?
The good news for Kate Middleton and her legion of fans is that the surgical procedure itself was a success. There were no unexpected complications that we are aware of, and as planned, Kate is currently spending time recovering at The London Clinic.
As near as anyone can tell, Kate is recovering just fine. The reason her recovery status is somewhat ambiguous is that Kensington Palace (likely worried about what tabloid reporters would do with the information) has stated that there will be no updates regarding Kate’s status unless something major (for good or for ill) has happened. Given that information, we can only assume that no news is good news.
When will Kate resume her royal duties?
Kate Middleton’s abdominal surgery was a success, and it looks like she is on track to be discharged from The London Clinic very soon. Once she leaves, though, she will need to continue recovering at the Windsor home she shares with Prince William. And it looks like that recovery will take a longer time than any of her fans were anticipating.
According to statements made by Kensington Palace, Kate has consulted with her doctors and, under their advisement, will not resume her regular royal duties until after Easter. The statement clarified that Kate is aware that this fact will generate “interest,” and she’s not wrong: the idea that surgery for an unnamed medical issue could knock the future Queen of England out of commission for a quarter of a year caused a renewed round of speculation regarding her health.
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Canceling many previous engagements
Kate Middleton may have been planning to have this abdominal surgery, but it sounds like she didn’t plan for her recovery to take so long. Because of that, she has had to cancel a number of previous engagements so that she can spend time at home, focusing on her recovery.
The same Kensington Palace announcements emphasized that Kate was looking forward to “reinstating as many as possible” of these engagements as soon as she could. However, the fact that she hadn’t already cleared her schedule of these engagements hints that Kate thought she would complete her recovery much quicker than the estimate later given to her by her doctors.
Why all of this is so shocking for Prince William
It’s no secret that William and Kate have always presented themselves as a united team. This cute couple always supports one another in matters ranging from raising their children to conducting royal affairs. Now, the fact that Kate will be out of commission until after Easter is having an effect on William, and he has correspondingly cut many of his own public engagements short so that he can better take care of their children while Kate recovers. He has even stepped back (albeit temporarily) from royal responsibilities, giving him something in common with disgraced brother Harry.
According to royal correspondent Jennie Bond, this is also having an emotional and psychological effect on William. As reported by Yahoo!, she said “He’ll be feeling emotional, stressed and probably rather bewildered by this sudden turn of events.” Said stress comes not just from the added responsibilities but, according to Bond, a reminder of his and his wife’s morality. “You can have every privilege in life but your health is paramount and beyond your control.”
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