Royals hit by double health scare as King and Kate need hospital treatment

The Princess of Wales is expected to remain in hospital for up to two weeks, while the King will be treated next week

The monarchy has been hit by a double health scare with the Princess of Wales in hospital after abdominal surgery and the King facing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Kate – a future Queen – is expected to remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days and is set to be away from official duties for up to three months to give her time to recover.

The nature of the princess’s condition has not been revealed although Kensington Palace confirmed it was not cancerous.

Buckingham Palace announced just an hour and a half after it emerged the Princess of Wales was in hospital that Charles, 75, will be treated in hospital next week

It is serious enough, however, for the Prince of Wales to be stepping temporarily back from official duties while his wife is in hospital and in the immediate aftermath while she recuperates.

Buckingham Palace announced just an hour and a half after Kensington Palace’s news that Charles, 75, will be treated in hospital next week.

The Palace said Charles’s condition was benign and he would be having a corrective procedure.

His engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.

Police officers stand guard at the entrance to The London Clinic. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Kate, 42, was admitted to The London Clinic on Tuesday for her planned procedure.

She is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter based on current medical advice, Kensington Palace said.

Heir to the throne William will combine being at Kate’s side with caring for their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princes Louis, and he has postponed a number of engagements.

Kate is close to her family, and her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and sibling Pippa Matthews and James Middleton are set to rally round and support her recovery at the Waleses’ home, Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

The Princess of Wales is facing up to two weeks in in hospital following planned abdominal surgery Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

A spokesperson said: “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.

King Charles III who will attend hospital next week to be treated for an enlarged prostate. Photo: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

“She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.”

There will now be no international travel for the prince and princess in the coming months.

It is understood Charles was keen to share the details of his diagnosis to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked in line with public health advice.

Buckingham Palace Palace said in a statement: “In common with thousands of men each year, the King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate.

“His Majesty’s condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure. The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.”

The King had a series of meetings and events planned at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire on Thursday and Friday, which are being postponed on his doctor’s advice.

The announcement was made on the same day as Kate’s hospital stay because guests, including foreign dignitaries and members of the Cabinet, were due to travel to Scotland and needed to be made aware of the situation.

The 75-year-old monarch acceded to the throne just 16 months ago after spending 70 years as the heir to the throne, and was crowned last May in Westminster Abbey.

The princess marked her birthday just over a week ago, with the monarchy’s official social media accounts sharing a new behind-the-scenes photo of the princess at the King’s coronation.

Kate usually enjoys good health but was previously admitted to hospital while pregnant after suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum – severe morning sickness.

Like the rest of the royal family, she has had a busy, turbulent past couple of years, with the Platinum Jubilee and the late Queen’s death in 2022, and the coronation in 2023, as well as adjusting to her new role as the Princess of Wales.

The Waleses also faced the ongoing rift between William and his brother the Duke of Sussex, with Harry making controversial claims about Charles, Camilla, William and Kate in his Netflix documentary and memoir Spare.

William’s former university flatmate has carefully carved out her charity work since marrying the prince in 2011 and becoming an HRH, focusing on mental health and early childhood.

Seen as the monarchy’s safe pair of hands and as having a “keep calm and carry on” approach, Kate has been heralded as channelling the same characteristics of charm, politeness and toughness as the late Queen Mother, who was once described as “a marshmallow made on a welding machine”.

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who was private secretary to the Cambridges and the Duke of Sussex, and used to work for the Queen Mother, told The Times: “She takes time to talk to people. She is tough.

“She has got that Queen Mother feel in her, so that when things need doing, she is there to do them.”

Inside clinic where Princess of Wales being treated

The private hospital where the Princess of Wales is receiving treatment has a long history with the royal family.

Kate, 42, is recovering at The London Clinic after undergoing successful abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace announced on Wednesday.

She was admitted on Tuesday for the planned procedure.

The London Clinic was officially opened by the then-Duke and Duchess of York in 1932.

It was the brainchild of a group of Harley Street doctors who set out to plan a new nursing home using the highest medical standards of the day.

Past patients include the late Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, the late Queen’s younger sister Princess Margaret and former US president John F Kennedy.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor was also treated at the clinic after falling on a film set in the 1960s.

According to its website, the hospital was “founded on the principles of providing excellence in one place”.

The facility said it could treat 155 conditions, with hundreds of treatments, tests and scans available.

It also operated as a charity, reinvesting in research, education and innovation.

Since the 1980s, a number of facilities at the site have been officially launched by members of the royal family.

The King, as the then-Prince of Wales, opened the physiotherapy department in 1989, while Princess Margaret launched the MRI unit in 1991 and the late Queen unveiled a new cancer unit in 2010.

The latest inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), carried out in June 2021, rated The London Clinic as “good” overall.

According to the health watchdog, the hospital has about 23,000 inpatients a year, with a further 110,000 outpatients.

It is registered to provide surgery as well as diagnostics and screening, treatment of disease, disorder or injury, management of supply of blood and blood-derived products.

The building at 20 Devonshire Place has seven main operating theatres and three additional theatres, as well as six specialty wards for surgeries in urology, gynaecology, thoracic surgery, orthopaedics and spinal procedures.

The Princess of Wales is expected to spend between 10 and 14 days in the hospital and two to three months recovering.

She is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter, at the end of March.