Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, has undergone successful planned abdominal surgery and will be in hospital for up to two weeks, Kensington Palace said on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old wife of William, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, was admitted to a private clinic in central London on Tuesday, a statement said.
Kate was last seen in public on Christmas Day when the royal family made their annual visit to a church service near King Charles’ Sandringham home in eastern England and there was no prior indication she was unwell.
The palace statement said it was expected that Kate would remain in the London Clinic, a private hospital in the British capital, for 10 to 14 days of treatment before returning home to recover. A palace source said the condition was non-cancerous.
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“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the statement said.
“She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
Her office said it would only provide updates on her progress when there was “significant new information to share”.
It added she was unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.
“The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her coming engagements.
“She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.”
The princess is one of the most photographed members of the royal family.
She is frequently seen alongside William, 41, with whom she has three young children, but is increasingly undertaking solo public engagements.
After Prince Harry and Meghan’s stormy departure to California in 2020, the Prince and Princess of Wales have solidified their position as being among the most popular members of the royal family.
Kate, in particular, has remained a reliable royal in the public eye – the smiling mother of three who can comfort grieving parents at a children’s hospice or wow the nation by playing piano during a televised Christmas concert.
Reporting by Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Associated Press