The Wales family's last public outing together was on Christmas day. Photo / AP
Princess Kate has officially returned home from The London Clinic following her planned abdominal surgery to a reported emotional reunion with her children.
After 13 days apart from Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, the mother of three connected with them only via FaceTime while she was in hospital choosing not to allow them to visit. Now a royal source has revealed why.
Speaking to People magazine, royal biographer Ingrid Seward said the Prince and Princess of Wales’ decision to keep the children away from the hospital came down to one thing, normality.
“I don’t think she wanted to make more of a big thing of it than it already was,” Seward said adding, “They’ll be rallying round in their own way and helping to look after her.”
It may have also come down to the fact that the hospital does not allow visits from patients’ children unless permitted to keep infections at bay and ensure the safety of patients. Prince William however was spotted regularly visiting his wife.
Kate returned to Adelaide Cottage, the family’s private residence near Windsor Castle, earlier this week. Seward said, “I’m sure she’s utterly exhausted, but she’ll recover well.”
The Sun reported the three children were at school when Kate returned home, however when they arrived back from their academic day, it was understood to be an emotional reunion
Following Kate’s release, a Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress.
“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.”
The princess will return to public duties only when her doctors agree and will not be undertaking public engagements before Easter, palace sources have indicated. Two short overseas tours for the prince and princess have been cancelled. Where possible, she will work from home on her Early Years project.
It comes after King Charles was released from hospital on the same day giving fans a big smile as he and Queen Camilla walked out of the clinic.
Charles underwent an operation for an enlarged prostate. A statement released by the Palace revealed the reason why he made his condition public was to inspire other men to consult their doctors about the benign condition.
Speaking to People magazine, a source said: “It was sensible to be more open about it, as otherwise, people might have thought the worst”, in regards to the King’s diagnosis.