The Princess of Wales in hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery

The Princess of Wales, 41, is in hospital after undergoing successful abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace announced on Wednesday.

In a statement, the palace said: "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery. The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.

"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.

"Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.

"The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible."

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It's understood that Kate's condition is non-cancerous, and that Prince William has rescheduled his diary to support his wife and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The Princess is expected to recover at her home in Windsor with her family, and it's unlikely that there will be any international travel for the Waleses in the coming months.

Previous reports had suggested that William and Kate were due to visit Italy in an official capacity this spring.

It comes as Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles will undergo hospital treatment for an enlarged prostate. The Palace said Charles’s condition was benign and he would be having a corrective procedure.

Prince William and Kate's last joint outing together was on Christmas Day in Sandringham with their three children.

On 9 January, the Princess celebrated her 42nd birthday, with King Charles and Queen Camilla sharing a previously unseen photo of Kate to mark the occasion.

The Prince returned to royal duties last week, presenting CBEs to rugby stars, Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, at Headingley Stadium in Leeds, as the Wales children returned to their classrooms at Lambrook school.

The London Clinic has previously treated members of the royal family, including the late Duke of Edinburgh, who was admitted to the hospital for "abdominal investigations" in 2013.

The late Princess Margaret also had an operation to remove a benign skin lesion at the clinic in 1980.

William and Kate's official Instagram page was flooded with comments of support after the palace shared the statement.

Among the well-wishers was Giovanni Fletcher, who has met the Princess a number of times. She wrote: “Sending love! Xx." Meanwhile, presenter Fearne Cotton added two heart emojis.

Kate usually enjoys good health but was previously admitted to hospital while pregnant after suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum – severe morning sickness.

HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash says: "This has come as a shock at a time when most of us were expecting to see the Princess back in action with a busy schedule of engagements lined up.

"It means that neither she or William will be on public duty in the next few weeks and Kate is unlikely to be back at work before Easter. Similarly, William wants to be at her side and with their children until she's settled back at home, so a lot of diary events are being postponed.

"Obviously everyone wishes her well and is hoping for a speedy recovery."