Prince William Honors Kate Middleton With Sweet Sentiment During One of Few Royal Visits Since Cancer News
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 21: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend a ceremonial welcome for The President and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea at Horse Guards Parade on November 21, 2023 in London, England. King Charles is hosting Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee on a state visit from November 21-23. It is the second incoming state visit hosted by the King during his reign. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Prince William shared a sweet message about Kate Middleton while on a recent royal outing as he recognized that his wife would have liked nothing more than to have been able to join him.
It’s been more than a month since the Princess of Wales revealed her battle with cancer. In the weeks that have followed, the Prince of Wales has only been spotted on rare occasions, though he does appear to be venturing out in public more now than he was in the immediate aftermath of Kate’s March 22 announcement.
On Thurs., April 25, William, 41, made a royal visit to three locations in the West Midlands so that he could learn more about local efforts to support mental health and help those impacted by homelessness or addiction.
William’s first stop was at St. Michael's Church of England High School, an education facility in Sandwell that embraces student-led mental health initiatives. A 12-year-old student named Freddie Hadley invited the prince to visit the school last fall, according to Buckingham Palace, and William later made arrangements to chat with students there as part of his April 25 royal outing.
In a video that Kensington Palace shared on X, the prince thanked Hadley for extending an invitation to visit the school. Hadley also appeared in the video to explain that his letter was about “inviting Prince William to one of our events so he could see what we do inside our school around male mental health.”
During his visit, Prince William told a school staff member that he regretted his wife hadn’t been able to accompany him, according to The Daily Mail. “I am sorry Catherine can't be here as well,” the prince was quoted as saying. “She would have loved to.”
Kate stepped back from her public royal duties earlier this year when she underwent a planned abdominal surgery in mid-January. She explained last month in a video message that tests conducted after her operation revealed the “huge shock” that “cancer had been present.” The princess said she had already started a preventative chemotherapy treatment upon the recommendation of her medical team, and while she was looking forward to returning to her work “when I’m able,” she needed to first “focus on making a full recovery.”
