UK’s William back at work as king steps back
With his father King Charles 3rd undergoing treatment for cancer and his wife recovering from surgery, the United Kingdom’s Prince William returned to royal frontline duties on Wednesday.
The king’s shock cancer diagnosis, announced on Monday, and Catherine’s abdominal operation have left William shouldering a heavy royal burden.
William, 41, Charles’ elder son and heir to the throne, postponed public engagements to care for his wife, the Princess of Wales, and their three children after she was admitted to the hospital on January 16.
But he was back at work on Wednesday, handing out honors awarded to citizens for good deeds at Windsor Castle and attending the London Air Ambulance annual fundraising gala in central London.
He is expected to take on some of his father’s duties while he undergoes treatment, with the monarch’s sister Princess Anne and wife Queen Camilla helping to share the load.
Buckingham Palace has not specified the type of cancer afflicting the 75-yearold king, although it is understood not to be prostate cancer.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it had been “caught early.”
The diagnosis comes just 17 months into his reign following the death of his 96-year-old mother, Elizabeth 2nd, on Sept. 8, 2022.
Adding to the drama, the king’s estranged younger son, Prince Harry, flew into the UK from California on Tuesday.
Shortly afterward, a relaxed-looking Charles was seen leaving his Clarence House residence in the British capital for Sandringham, his country estate in eastern England.
The news sparked immediate speculation that it could serve as a catalyst to heal the family tensions that have blighted the start of Charles’ reign.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, however, described the rift between Harry, formally known as the Duke of Sussex, and the rest of the royal family as “very deep.”
Harry has a particularly fractious relationship with his elder brother.
People expressed sympathy for William, who, they noted, now faced the double burden of maintaining his family life with official duties.
“He’s got a hard job because his wife is [indisposed] at the moment, so that’s an added pressure on poor William, but I’m sure that he will cope,” pensioner Sue Hazell told Agence France-Presse (AFP) outside Buckingham Palace, another of the king’s London homes, on Tuesday.
Catherine is expected to be out of action until at least March 31, her Kensington Palace office said.
Officials have not given details of her surgery except to say it was not linked to cancer.