The first alert from Kensington Palace announcing Kate Middleton‘s hospitalization to recover from abdominal surgery went out at exactly 9:04 a.m. EST on Jan. 17. Nearly two hours later — at exactly 10:51 a.m. EST — the palace sent out a second alert announcing King Charles III would seek treatment for an enlarged prostate.
One such medical update is shocking enough, but two updates within a matter of hours affecting the highest echelons of the royal family is “highly unusual.” But this peculiar set of medical circumstances now means that the Princess of Wales and His Majesty will be hospitalized simultaneously, as Middleton will “remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days” while Charles undergoes the corrective procedure next week.
With so much news flying out of the palace, here’s everything we know about the royals’ health prognosis, the domino effect it has caused, and what’s to be expected from the palace moving forward.
Kate undergoes planned abdominal surgery
On Jan. 17, the palace announced that the Princess of Wales was admitted the day prior to The London Clinic for surgery. According to the palace, “the surgery was successful.” She’ll spend the next 10 to 14 days in the hospital “before returning home to continue her recovery.”
As part of her recovery, the palace also announced that “she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.” The palace has gone on the record to say that it will only provide details on Middleton’s medical condition moving forward if the information is “significant.”
But the fact that the palace shared this much information is significant and, according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, “unusual.”
“They’re not going to give any running commentary on Princess Katherine’s health, but I think it’s worth pointing out that it’s quite unusual that we’ve been given so much information, and this is a breach of real royal protocol. It is unusual,” she tells ET. “I suspect this is to quash any speculation and, of course, there are going to be wild rumors circulating all over social media. And I think this is the palace’s way of trying to control some of that narrative.”
How serious was the surgery?
That still remains unclear. ET understands that the undisclosed issue was non-cancerous. But while no explanation has been given about the exact circumstances that led to Middleton requiring abdominal surgery, Nicholl tells ET that the long recovery time indicates that the surgery was “serious” and “invasive.”
“So, we don’t know exactly how well Katherine is doing at the moment. She’s clearly gone through quite a major surgery. I think most people will understand that when you’ve got a 10 to 14 day hospital stay, that means that surgery has been pretty invasive,” Nicholl tells ET. “So, her road to recovery we expect to be a slow one, but we understand she should and will make a full recovery. But she won’t be returning to official engagements until after Easter, and I think all of those things — the length of the hospital stay and then not resuming royal duties until after Easter holidays — gives us all an indication that this has been quite a major surgery, a serious operation.”
Middleton’s last public appearance took place when she joined the royal family, including King Charles and Queen Camila, at the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church. Earlier this month, Middleton celebrated her 42nd birthday.
Charles seeks treatment for enlarged prostate
The palace later announced that the 75-year-old monarch will be hospitalized next week for the corrective procedure.
“In common with thousands of men each year, The King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate,” the palace’s statement reads. “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 palace added that the king wished to share the news of his diagnosis, in order to encourage men experiencing symptoms to get checked.
As for Charles’ upcoming schedule, a royal source tells ET, “His Majesty had a series of meetings and events planned at Dumfries House tomorrow and Friday, which are now being postponed on doctor’s advice. Guests, including foreign dignitaries and members of the Cabinet, were due to travel and so they needed to make people aware of the situation.”
ET has also learned that the palace does not expect the Counsellors of State will be needed at the time of the surgery. According to the royal website, Counsellors of State are typically appointed in the event that the king cannot perform his official duties as sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad.
This ‘was highly unusual’
Nicholl tells ET that everyone across the pond was “shocked” to learn about Middleton’s hospitalization.
“I don’t think any of us saw this coming,” she says. “I think when the news dropped today everyone was was completely shocked.”
Then she thought her eyes were deceiving her, after the palace’s alert on Charles’ health hit her inbox.
“It was one of those days when you sort of double check your e-mail just to make sure you’re actually really seeing what you’re seeing,” Nicholl explains. “It was highly unusual. It’s been a very busy day, of course, for all royal reporters. And, of course, for all the couriers at the palace who are having to field those calls and manage this story. I think when it comes to health matters, they really don’t want to incite alarm.”
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