William visits Kate in hospital after surgery

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Prince William arriving at hospital to visit Catherine

By Sean Coughlan, royal correspondent, and Andre Rhoden-Paul

BBC News

The Prince of Wales has visited his wife Catherine in hospital as she recovers from her surgery.

The Princess of Wales is said to be “doing well” in her recovery.

Catherine has spent her second night in hospital after successful, planned abdominal surgery at the London Clinic private hospital.

Meanwhile, Queen Camilla has said the King is “fine” after the monarch announced he was going to have a procedure for an enlarged prostate.

On a visit in Aberdeen on Thursday morning, Queen Camilla was asked about the King, and replied: “He’s fine, thank you very much. Looking forward to getting back to work.”

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Catherine is “doing well” after her operation

Kensington Palace revealed on Wednesday afternoon that the princess, 42, had undergone abdominal surgery.

Her husband Prince William was seen driving away from the back entrance of the hospital in central London where she is being treated.

The specific details of Catherine’s procedure remain private, but it is understood not to be cancer related and it was planned rather than a medical emergency.

But it is clearly serious enough to require a couple of weeks in hospital and then several months of recuperation, which will see the Princess of Wales missing official duties at least until after Easter.

The latest updates on her condition have been reassuring, suggesting a good recovery.

And the degree of information about her hospital stay shows a greater openness than in previous years, when royal health mostly remained behind a screen of privacy.

The princess had last been seen in public at Christmas, when she had appeared well, after a busy series of engagements, including her televised carol concert from Westminster Abbey.

Media caption, Watch: On a visit to Scotland, Queen Camilla was asked about King Charles’s health

Meanwhile in Scotland, the Queen on Thursday was on a solo visit to Aberdeen Art Gallery when she was asked about the King’s health by the Lord Provost.

The King, 75, is currently at his private home Birkhall in Aberdeenshire, while he prepares for the corrective procedure.

The willingness of the monarch to go public about his benign enlarged prostate also shows a greater degree of frankness.

But it also seems motivated by a desire to raise public awareness about prostate problems and to remove any reluctance to talk about it and to encourage more men to get their own checks.

Figures revealed there was a significant increase in searches for an “enlarged prostate” on the NHS website on Wednesday.

In the United States there was a row this month when US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had not initially informed President Biden that he was being treated for a prostate problem.

The hospital procedure for the King’s prostate is expected to be a relatively brief interruption to his work, and it won’t require any stand-ins for his constitutional role as head of state.

Prince William will be spending more time with his wife, while she recovers, which is expected to mean changes to his planned schedule.

There had been expectations of a royal trip this spring for the Prince and Princess of Wales, including reports of a visit to Italy, which now seem likely to have to be rearranged.