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Princess Kate’s hospitalization worried fans around the globe. However, Kensington Palace reassured the public in a statement that her “planned abdominal surgery” was “successful” and not a cause for concern. Shortly after the statement was released, her husband Prince William was seen going to visit her in the hospital. Sources close to the Royal Family also revealed that she was doing well, while on the mend in a new report.
Here are all the updates about Kate’s recent surgery and past health concerns that she’s had.
Why Did Kate Middleton Undergo Abdominal Surgery?
On January 17, 2024, Kensington Palace released an unprecedented statement, revealing that the Princess of Wales was hospitalized.
“Her Royal Highness was admitted to hospital for planned abdominal surgery,” the palace’s statement read. “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 palace’s statement continued, “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.”
According to multiple outlets, Kate’s operation was not cancerous nor life-threatening. It is still unclear why she underwent the “planned” procedure.
Shortly after the news of her hospitalization was revealed, photos of William leaving the hospital were caught by paparazzi. Sources also revealed that the Prince of Wales has also shifted his schedule around to support his wife and kids, according to a report from PEOPLE.
The outlet later reported that members close to the royal family were just as surprised as the public was when Kate was admitted to the hospital. While nothing seemed to be wrong with the Princess of Wales in December, those who work with the royals noticed that certain public engagements were left up in the air for her to attend, according to the publication. As for why she and the royals chose to keep her surgery private in comparison to King Charles III‘s surgery announcement, PEOPLE reported that her choice was in the palace’s statement: to maintain “as much normality” as possible for her children. Charles, however, chose to disclose the news of his operation to the public because it felt “sensible” to do so.
“It was sensible to be more open about it, as otherwise, people might have thought the worst,” a palace insider told the publication about Charles’ choice to inform the public.
How Is Kate Middleton’s Health Today?
After her surgery, sources also said that Kate was “doing well” in the PEOPLE report. Since the royal prefers to keep her personal information private, it appears that — in the public eye — she maintains a healthy lifestyle. Previously, however, Kate encountered a difficult part of her third pregnancy with morning sickness.
Kate’s Previous Battle With Severe Morning Sickness
During her third pregnancy with son Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge suffered severe bouts of morning sickness, called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The condition causes weight loss, dehydration and vomiting multiple days per day.
During a February 2020 interview on the “Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast,” Kate got candid about the grueling condition she dealt with.
“I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people,” she joked. “Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge. Not just for me, but also for your loved ones around you, and I think that’s the thing — being pregnant and having a newborn baby and things like that, impacts everybody in the family.”
