Prince William will “shield” his wife Princess Kate from outside pressures as she recovers from her major surgery, a former royal press secretary has claimed.
The Princess of Wales announced in January that she was admitted to The London Clinic hospital for “planned abdominal surgery”, and that the procedure was “successful”.
In a statement released by Kensington Palace on Instagram, it was revealed that the Princess of Wales is “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
To help with her recovery, Prince William has also decided to temporarily step back from royal engagements to look after his wife.
Prince William made his first public appearance on Wednesday, where he thanked well-wishers for their support for King Charles and Princess Kate at the London Air Ambulance charity gala dinner.
The Prince of Wales said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all.”
Discussing the mounting pressure on Prince William to step up his royal duties as well as look after his family, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, Ailsa Anderson, said the Prince of Wales will “shield” his wife from the fallout as she recovers.
Anderson added that Prince William is a “modern monarch in waiting” and will step up in their absences in the “way he wants to”.
Anderson told host Camilla Tominey: “I think William will try and shield her from as much of that pressure as possible. I hear they’ve gone to Sandringham for half term week next week, to recuperate.
“And I think he will try and give her as much space as she needs to, to recuperate.”
Shutting down critics amid claims the Wales’s “weren’t doing enough” prior to Princess Kate’s surgery, Anderson said: “Give them a break!”
Anderson added: “For Prince William, family and duty go hand in hand.”