Prince William’s London visit as he returns to public duty after Kate Middleton’s diagnosis

Prince William is returning to official public duties on Thursday (April 18) for the first time since his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed her cancer diagnosis. The Prince of Wales will first of all visit a surplus food distribution charity – Surplus to Supper – in Surrey, where he will lend a hand in the kitchen and help load prepared meals into delivery vans.

He will then travel to a youth centre in West London which benefits from the organisation’s deliveries. The 41-year-old has spent the past three-and-a-half weeks with his wife and children for the Easter holidays, as the family took time away to process Kate’s diagnosis.

In a video message to the nation on March 22, Kate asked that time, space and privacy be afforded to her family following her chemotherapy announcement. “I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she said, adding: “It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay.”

William’s last public engagement came on March 19, when he visited Sheffield to promote his Homewards homelessness campaign. Kensington Palace previously said that William would resume public engagements after the school holidays, on a reduced timetable as he continues to support Kate through her treatment.

William was seen taking his eldest son Prince George to an Aston Villa football match last week, watching his boyhood club beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in his first public outing since Kate’s announcement. Kate’s cancer was discovered in post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery in January.