Prince of Wales to return to public duties

THE Prince of Wales will return to work this week with his first public engagement since his wife’s cancer diagnosis was announced.

Prince William, 41, will visit a surplus food redistribution charity in Surrey tomorrow before going on to a youth centre in west London that receives deliveries from the organisation.

The two visits will be his first since decamping to Norfolk with the Princess and their three children for the Easter holidays.

The Princess announced on Friday March 22 that she was undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy treatment.

She revealed in a video message that following successful abdominal surgery in January, post-operative tests found that “cancer had been present”.

The statement was released to coincide with the end of the school term, allowing the Prince and Princess to shield Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, from the ensuing publicity. The children are expected to return to school for the summer term today.

The Prince’s last public engagement was almost a month ago, on March 19, when he visited Sheffield to promote his Homewards homelessness initiative.

Kensington Palace had previously said that he would return to public duties after the school holidays. He is expected to maintain a reduced timetable, as he has since the beginning of the year, as he continues to juggle work with supporting his wife through her cancer treatment.

The Prince’s focus on the reduction of food waste reflects one of the key priorities of his Earthshot Prize, as it helps protect the environment by cutting down emissions from landfill.