Why We Think Prince William Just Gave A Hint About Kate Middleton's Recovery

When Kensington Palace released a statement about Kate Middleton's abdominal surgery, the details were sparse as to the procedure and what her recovery would entail. While the palace offered its assurance that she experienced no complications during the surgery, it also said that Kate would have to remain hospitalized for up to two weeks.

Some supporters of the royal family found the lengthy hospital stay, combined with the lack of specifics about Kate's medical condition, alarming. Then there's the palace's revelation that she was expected to convalesce at home until the end of March. The secrecy has also sparked all sorts of rumors about Kate's health scare. One of the most worrisome was a report by the Spanish news outlet Fiesta claiming that she was in a coma. However, The Times spoke to a palace source who vehemently denied that this was the case.

Based on what royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Daily Mail, Prince William's recent behavior may serve as a gauge of how well Kate's recovery is going. "William will be with her and forgoing royal duties for as long as he feels it is necessary. He has always put his family first," Fitzwilliams said. In other words, seeing more of William out in public could bode well for his wife. So, those who have been fretting over Kate's condition will be relieved to know that he's already returned to royal duty.

On February 7, 2024, Prince William handed out honors to professional soccer players and other deserving British citizens during an investiture ceremony. He was filling in for King Charles III after the monarch announced his cancer diagnosis. Despite his family being delivered so many brutal blows in such a short time, William was able to smile at his guests when welcoming them to Windsor Castle and giving them their medals.

That William was willing to leave his wife's side to help his ailing father out is a good indication that Kate Middleton is on the mend. He was even up for attending a second event in the evening, per The New York Post: a gala benefitting the London's Air Ambulance Charity. At the dinner, William and "Top Gun" star Tom Cruise were photographed sharing a laugh. 

But even with his father out of commission, William reportedly doesn't plan to resume working full-time to help pick up the slack just yet. "You should not expect to see him again for a bit," a source told The Daily Mail. Meanwhile, Us Weekly reported that Kate is so prepared to pitch in that she refused to let being bedridden stop her from doing what work she could from the comfort of her own home. "Kate will still be healing for several weeks but is already eager to get back to work," an insider said. This is another potential sign that her recovery is going well.

While nothing seemed amiss in photos of Prince William at the investiture, some users on X, formerly known as Twitter, became concerned about the state of his health after watching video footage of the event shared by Sky News. While standing at attention for the playing of the United Kingdom's national anthem, William seemed to have a hard time holding his body still. His feet remained planted in place, but he swayed forward and backward throughout the entirety of the live performance by a classical chamber ensemble. 

In a close-up shot, William could also be seen rapidly blinking as if he were struggling to keep his eyes open. "Seriously, he looks worse than Charles. Is he sick as well?" read one reaction to the video. "Why does it look like he's trying to keep himself from collapsing??? The swaying, the noticeably dark circles under his eyes ... not looking good at all," another person wrote. It was also pointed out that the most likely culprit of William's abnormal actions was simply exhaustion.

However, William seemed to have some pep in his step at the charity dinner later that evening. His speech included another clue that both Kate Middleton and King Charles III aren't at death's door when he joked, "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!" (via the Mirror).