Prince William is back to his royal duties after taking some time off due to ongoing medical issues within the royal family. While appearing at the London Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner on Wednesday, the Prince of Wales also publicly addressed King Charles’s cancer diagnosis for the first time.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you also for the kind of messages of support for Catherine and my father, especially in recent days,” Prince William said while onstage Wednesday, according to People. “It means a great deal to us all.”
Kate Middleton, William’s wife, spent nearly two weeks in the hospital in January while undergoing abdominal surgery. Details of the surgery remain unknown, but Kensington Palace has reassured the public that the surgery was “successful” and that Middleton “is making good progress” in her three-month at-home recovery. Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace announced in early February that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer and was in the midst of outpatient treatment. The palace also noted that the disease was discovered during a “corrective procedure” for a benign prostate enlargement that took place in January.
“The past few weeks have been rather medical focused, so I thought I’d come to an Air Ambulance function to get away from it all,” Prince William said at the gala. Levity! Well played, sir.
The 41-year-old prince also found time to mingle with royals-chaser Tom Cruise at the gala, which is notable solely because William couldn’t say the same for his own brother. Maybe they’ll finally catch each other at the premiere for the next Top Gun reboot.