Prince William announces first public engagement since Kate’s cancer diagnosis

The Princess of Wales was praised for her bravery while revealing she had cancer

Emma Guinness
Tuesday 16 April 2024 07:10 EDT
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Princess Kate announces cancer diagnosis

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Prince William has announced his first public engagement since Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis.

The heir to the throne, 41, revealed that he would be returning to work on April 18, this Thursday, to help publicise community and environmental impact organisations in Surrey and West London.

His first port of call will be “Surplus to Supper”, a charity in Sunbury-on-Thames, that aims to bridge the gap between food waste and poverty.

There, he will see how food waste is processed and redistributed to organisations that need it in the community.

This will be followed by a visit to one of the organsiations benefiting, a community youth centre in West London.

The decision to visit these organisations comes off the back of his pledge to help the enviornment as part of his charity work, which saw him establish The Earthshot Prize in 2020 to shine a spotlight on innovators in this field.

Prince William has been absent from public life as he supports his wife in her cancer battle
Prince William has been absent from public life as he supports his wife in her cancer battle (Oli Scarff/PA Wire)

His return to public life comes amid a difficult time for the Royal Family as his father, King Charles, and wife, the Princess of Wales, both battle cancer.

He has been notably absent from public life as a result, cancelling various engagements this year.

One of the most notable was his last-minute decision to drop out of a memorial service at Windsor Castle becuase of a “personal matter”.

This was later revealed to be his wife’s ongoing cancer battle, which was announced to the public via video on March 22.

In it, the Princess bravely revealed that after undergoing planned abdominal surgery in January, she was diagnosed with cancer, for which she is now undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

While it was thought that she would return to public duties after Easter, she explained that she will not be working again until her medical deem it safe for her to do so.

(Independent TV)

The princess made the annoucement after rumours about her whereabouts reached fever pitch last month.

This was, in part, the result of a manipulated image the palace shared to celebrate Mother’s Day, which was pulled by major photo agencies.

Members of the public subsequently began to speculate that the princess was missing as she had not been reliably photographed in public since before Christmas.

It was then that she decided to explain the reason behind her prolonged absence, stressing that she is hopeful about her prognosis and putting all of her energy into getting better.

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