Duchess must rest after hospital release
LONDON — The Duchess of Cambridge is expected to take time off from her royal duties until Christmas after being discharged from hospital Thursday.
Catherine, wife of Prince William, spent three nights in the King Edward VII Hospital in London being treated for a severe form of morning sickness and has cancelled two engagements this weekend, and is unlikely to be well enough to attend a third next week.
She has been told to rest at Kensington Palace for at least a week, meaning she is unlikely to be seen in public again until the royal family’s Christmas Day church attendance.
The duchess, 30, smiled broadly as she left hospital at 10.45 a.m. holding a bouquet of yellow roses given to her by hospital staff, say- ing she was feeling “much better, thank you” as she got into a waiting Jaguar with the prince.
A St. James’s Palace spokesman said: “The Duchess of Cambridge will head to Kensington Palace for a period of rest. Their Royal Highnesses would like to thank the staff at the hospital for the care and treatment the duchess received.”
Maternity experts suggest she will need at least two weeks off work. Her condition also means she and the prince will be separated for days at a time over the coming weeks, with William due back on shift with his Search and Rescue squadron at RAF Valley in Wales.
The prince cannot afford to take any more time off, as he would be in danger of dropping below his minimum required flying hours for the year, having already taken time off for the Olympics and the couple’s tour of the Far East.