Kate Middleton ‘vulnerable’ and Prince William ‘cautious’ as he goes back to work with careful plan to protect her
Prince William will be returning to his public Royal duties "cautiously" as he leaves Kate Middleton for the first time since she revealed her cancer diagnosis.
On Thursday, April 18, the Prince of Wales, 41, is scheduled to visit Surplus to Supper, a surplus food distribution charity in Surrey, where he will contribute in the kitchen and assist with loading prepared meals into delivery vans. Following this, he will proceed to a West London youth centre that benefits from the deliveries of the organisation.
The last time we saw William carrying out official Royal duties was on March 20, when he visited Combermere Barracks near Windsor to meet with members of the Welsh Guards in his capacity as their Colonel.
The prince has spent the last three-and-a-half weeks with his family during the Easter holidays, allowing them some valuable downtime to come to terms with Kate's diagnosis. William, Kate and their children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - will have treasured their quality time together, according to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond.
Speaking to OK!, Jennie said: "These past three weeks will have been very precious for William, Catherine and their family. By announcing that she is undergoing treatment for cancer, the Princess claimed something that should have been hers from the start: the right to recover from surgery and deal with cancer in private. I hope it has given them the breathing space they must have so badly needed.
"Time to be a family together, enjoy the simple things of life…. country walks, snuggles in front of the TV , and going to football …without the constant noise of where are they and what’s the matter?"
Jennie also noted that William isn't straying too far from the royal couple's Windsor home as he returns to royal duties.
She said: "William has chosen the day after the children go back to school to get back to work himself. That’s sensible…settle the kids in and then concentrate on official duties. And it is a cautious start… close to home and close to issues that matter deeply to him: community and the environment.
"Catherine will be feeling vulnerable and must have loved having this family time, with her parents also staying at Anmer Hall. I have no doubt that Carole and Mike will be on hand as much as ever to help Catherine readjust to life with her husband back at work. And William will undoubtedly take things one step at a time, only increasing his workload when his wife and his children are ready for him to do so."
In a video message to the nation on March 22, Kate asked that time, space and privacy be afforded to her family following her chemotherapy announcement.
“I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she said, adding: “It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay.”
Founded in 2017, Surplus to Supper sources and distributes an average of 10 tons of food per week to food banks, schools, care homes, religious organisations and youth centres.
William will attend Sunbury Cricket Club, the charity’s headquarters, to meet volunteers who aim to bridge the gap between food waste and food poverty across Surrey and London.
“Reducing food waste has a considerable number of environmental benefits, including reducing emissions from landfill that contribute to climate change," the Palace said. “Protecting the environment for future generations is one of the Prince of Wales’s key priorities.”
William’s last public engagement came on March 19, when he visited Sheffield to promote his Homewards homelessness campaign.
Kensington Palace previously said that William would resume public engagements after the school holidays, on a reduced timetable as he continues to support Kate through her treatment.
William was seen taking his eldest son Prince George, 10, to an Aston Villa football match last week, watching his boyhood club beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in his first public outing since Kate’s announcement.
Kate’s cancer was discovered in post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery in January.
