Prince William opened up about Kate Middleton's hospital stay in a rare comment

Prince William and Kate Middleton smile on their official visit to Paris
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Princess of Wales is currently recovering from major abdominal surgery, returning home to Windsor last week after a 13 day stay at The London Clinic. And other than the fact that the procedure was "successful" and that Kate is making "progress", little else is known about her time in hospital.

"[The Princess of Wales] hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible," the statement from Kensington Palace read. "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".

Based on the current medical advice, the Princess of Wales "is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter." Prince William however returned to royal duties this week, having paused his responsibilities to care for his wife and children in the initial phase of her recovery. And in a surprising move, the Prince of Wales appeared to comment on his wife's recent hospitalisation. 

This reportedly took place at the Windsor investiture ceremony on Wednesday, which saw Prince William hand out 50 honours on behalf of his father, King Charles.

As he awarded Patricia Spruce with an MBE for her work recruiting staff for the NHS Trusts, William reportedly opened up about Kate's recent time in hospital, explaining that the care that she had received was excellent.

"Prince William said that Catherine had two Filipino nurses looking after her and they were amazing and kind," she reported.

"The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress," read the most recent statement from Kensington Palace. 

"The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided. 

"The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world."

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.