Prince William resumes royal duties for first time since Kate Middleton shared cancer diagnosis
Prince William has returned to official public duties today, Thursday 18 April, for the first time since his wife, Kate Middleton, revealed her cancer diagnosis.
The Prince of Wales is visiting a surplus food distribution charity – Surplus to Supper – in Surrey, where he will lend a hand in the kitchen and help load prepared meals into delivery vans.
He will then travel to a youth centre in west London which benefits from the organisation’s deliveries.
The Prince of Wales showed his appreciation when he received get well soon cards for his wife and the King from a volunteer at the food distribution charity.
He touched the shoulder of Rachel Candappa after she handed over the cards and told her: “Thank you very much, that’s kind.”
The 41-year-old has spent the past three-and-a-half weeks with wife Kate and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – for the Easter holidays.
In a video message to the nation on 22 March, Kate asked that time, space and privacy be given to her family as she bravely revealed that she had begun chemotherapy.
She said: “This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time.
“It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.
“But, most importantly, 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 OK.”
Kate’s cancer was discovered in post-operative tests following her major abdominal surgery in January.
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 is visiting 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, adding: “Protecting the environment for future generations is one of the Prince of Wales’s key priorities.”
William’s last public engagement was on 19 March, when he visited Sheffield to promote his Homewards homelessness campaign.
Kensington Palace previously said that he would resume public engagements after the school holidays, on a reduced timetable as he continues to support Kate through her treatment.
It comes after 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 London – their first public outing since Kate’s announcement.
