Prince William Preparing to Spend His First Night Away From Kate Middleton Since Her Cancer Diagnosis

The Prince of Wales returned to public-facing royal duties last month.

Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks to the mother of someone affected by suicide as he visits James' Place Newcastle on April 30, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William is scheduled to spend the most time away from his wife Kate Middleton since she was diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer.

The Prince of Wales is scheduled to spend Thursday, May 9, and Friday, May 10, in Cornwall as part of his public-facing royal duties, Us Weekly reports, carrying out engagements in both Newquay and the Isles of Scilly.

Since January, when Middleton underwent what Kensington Palace referred to as a planned abdominal surgery, Prince William has altered his schedule in order to be by his wife's side and help care for their three young children—Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.

Now, after formally returning to his royal duties in April, the Prince will spend his first night away from Middleton and his children since the Princess of Wales announced she was diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatments.

Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks to the mother of someone affected by suicide as he visits James' Place Newcastle on April 30, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Just last week, while visiting James' Place Newcastle—a charity opened by the Prince of Wales that provides support and assistance to men experiencing suicidal ideation or crisis—Prince William gave a brief update on his family after a member of the public asked the prince: "Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?"

 "All doing well, thank you," Prince William responded. "Yes, all doing well."

"I mean, obviously Catherine..." the onlooker continued.

"We're all doing well, thank you," the Prince of Wales insisted.

Recently, on Friday, May 3, the Times of London reported that Middleton is "expected to be away from public duties for some time" as a result of her ongoing cancer treatments, adding that the Princess of Wales could—down the road—be "keen" to attend public-facing events "when she feels able to."

In the surprising video announcing her cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatment, Kate Middleton informed the public that she would eventually return to public-facing duties when her doctors cleared her to do so.

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales

A photo posted by princeandprincessofwales on

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace went on to explain that "any initial public events" the Princess of Wales attends "will not necessarily signal a return to a regular public schedule," the Tatler reported.

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Amaia Arietta—a designer who has been responsible for some of Prince GeorgePrincess Charlotte and Prince Louis' most memorable looks—said she is "heartbroken" for the royal family.

"I think they are going through hell," she told the publication at the time. "I hope they will be back. It's really personal."

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.

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