Health scares for king and Kate disrupt UK royal duties

AFP | London                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Thursday received a visit from her husband Prince William as she recovered in hospital from surgery that will prevent her from undertaking frontline royal duties for several months.

Her father-in-law, British head of state King Charles III, is also facing a medical procedure for an enlarged prostate, forcing him to cancel some engagements.

But his wife, Queen Camilla, said he was in otherwise good health.

Asked about her 75-year-old husband on a visit to Aberdeen, northeast Scotland, Camilla, 76, said: "He's fine, thank you very much. Looking forward to getting back to work."

Palace officials on Wednesday issued two statements within 90 minutes, disclosing that the 42-year-old princess had undergone abdominal surgery on Tuesday and that she faced up to two weeks' recuperation.

The operation was a success and not linked to cancer, they said, without elaborating.

Charles, who succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, will have a "corrective procedure" for a benign enlarged prostate next week.

The health scares leave the already slimmed-down monarchy without three of its most senior figures. Camilla is now the most visible working royal over the coming weeks.

"It is unheard of, I think, to have three of the most senior royals temporarily out of action, postponing engagements," Sky News' Royal Correspondent Laura Bundock noted.

- Awareness -

William, Charles's elder son and heir to the throne, was seen driving away from The London Clinic on Thursday lunchtime.

The 41-year-old Prince of Wales has postponed upcoming public engagements to be at her side at the private hospital, and to care for their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.

The couple's Kensington Palace office has said they will not be issuing rolling updates about the princess's health.

But that has not stopped huge media interest, with photographers and film crews stationed outside the facility, which has previously treated the late queen's husband Prince Philip.

Her younger sister Princess Margaret and former US president John F Kennedy have also been patients.

The disclosure about the king's imminent procedure appears to have boosted prostate-related health awareness.

The state-run National Health Service (NHS) saw a significant increase in searches for an "enlarged prostate" on its website Wednesday, with more than 11 times as many visits compared to Tuesday.

Charles, who is also head of state of 14 other countries outside the United Kingdom, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, inherited the throne at an age when most men in developed countries have retired.

His last public appearance, alongside Kate and other senior family figures, was at a Christmas Day service at his Sandringham estate in eastern England.

- Postponements -

The unexpected health announcements -- a rare show of transparency from royal officials about personal health matters -- scupper several overseas trips that had been in the planning, according to reports.

William and Kate had reportedly been set to travel to Rome in the coming months for their first joint overseas visit in two years.

There has also been speculation that Charles and Camilla would visit Australia this year.

Charles's sister Princess Anne, 73, who recently completed a tour of Sri Lanka, is said to be ready to stand in for her brother at scheduled events in the next weeks.

The sudden shortage in frontline working royals follows three years of upheaval. Royal patriarch Prince Philip died in 2021, then the queen herself the following year.

Charles's younger son Prince Harry -- fifth in line to the throne -- and his wife Meghan quit their roles in 2020 and relocated to California.

The king's younger brother Prince Andrew, now eighth in the line of succession behind William's three children and Harry's two, has also been sidelined.

That followed Andrew's disastrous handling of questions about his friendship with the convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and his decision to settle a US civil claim for sexual assault without admitting liability.