Prince William said his wife Kate Middleton is “doing well” when asked by a member of the public during a royal engagement on Friday.
The Prince of Wales visited St. Mary’s Community Hospital on the Isles of Scilly in southwest England. An administrator at the hospital, Tracy Smith, gave the royal a tour of the facility. “May I ask how Princess Kate is doing?” she said. To which William responded that Kate is “doing well.” When asked about his children—George, Charlotte, and Louis—William joked: “The children are very jealous that I am here… Maybe we might come later in the year.”
The rare update comes after the Princess of Wales announced in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer after a planned abdominal surgery. Kate said in the video, which was released by Kensington Palace on March 22, that the news was a “huge shock.” She began a course of “preventative chemotherapy” in late February, according to a Kensington Palace spokesperson.
“I am well and getting stronger every day,” Kate said in the video message.
During the royal visit on Friday, hospital matron Lynda McHale gave Prince William a card for his wife and father, King Charles III, who announced his own diagnosis of an undisclosed type of cancer in February and officially returned to public duties in late April.
“It was a card from my granddaughter who wanted to wish his father and wife ‘get well soon,’ ” McHale said, as reported by Sky News.
Prince William, the Prince of Wales, speaks to Lynda McHale during a visit to St. Mary’s Community Hospital, on the Isles of Scilly, England, on May 10, 2024.Ben Birchall—Getty Images
Before the video announcement in March, Kate hadn’t been seen at a public engagement since Christmas Day, prompting widespread speculation about her whereabouts. In her filmed message, Kate said that she and her family needed time to process her diagnosis before sharing it with the public.
“It has taken time for me to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment,” she said.“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.”
William met with hospital staff on Friday to learn about plans for a new integrated health and social care facility, meant to improve the range of care provided and allow people to receive care close to them rather than having to travel to the mainland. The new building is scheduled to open by next summer, according to BBC.