Kate Middleton’s abdominal surgery has left Prince William acting as solo parent in an echo of the difficult period after Princess Diana’s death when King Charles III had to adjust to fathering alone.
The Princess of Wales’ planned operation was a success and she is said to be doing well but will spend up to two weeks in hospital before a lengthy period recovering at home, likely in Windsor where her children go to school.
While all the indications from the procedure so far appear to be positive, it will be a significant block of time out of action, with her return to royal duties potentially delayed until after Easter.
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Prince William is taking time out from work too, stepping out of royal engagements in order to take over caring for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with the help of their nanny Maria Borrallo.
And his time out will extend beyond Kate’s time in hospital, also covering a period after her return home.
Charles, who is himself due for a procedure on an enlarged prostate next week, once had to step up as a sole parent too, under far more tragic circumstances in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, in a 1997 Paris car crash.
There are elements of William’s current situation that are very different, not least the fact he is caring for Kate rather than grieving for her.
However, the decision he has had to take about how much to commit to work and how much to his wife and children still has echoes of the past.
In Charles’ case, the royals were on their summer holiday at Balmoral at the time Diana died on August 31, 1997.
Charles went to Paris before Diana was flown home and her funeral was on September 6.
The king then did his first public speaking engagement on Friday, September 19, 1997, but, of course, his responsibility to his children continued not for months but years to come.
Harry recalled the shock this dealt his father in a passage of his book Spare that is in some parts hugely poignant and others not entirely flattering.
“He’d always given an air of being not quite ready for parenthood,” Harry wrote. “The responsibilities, the patience, the time. Even he, though a proud man, would’ve admitted as much.
“But single parenthood? Pa was never made for that. To be fair, he tried. Evenings, I’d shout downstairs: Going to bed, Pa!
“He’d always shout back cheerfully: I’ll be there shortly, darling boy! True to his word, minutes later he’d be sitting on the edge of my bed.
“He never forgot that I didn’t like the dark, so he’d gently tickle my face until I fell asleep. I have the fondest memories of his hands on my cheeks, my forehead, then waking to find him gone, magically, the door always considerately left open a crack.”
The Wales children may well have nothing to worry about in relation to Kate, whose recovery may simply take time.
Needless to say, with the death of their grandmother just more than a year ago and their grandfather three years ago, George, Charlotte and Louis may well still need to look to their father for reassurance—as any child would.
William would be forgiven if this new role brought back memories of the past and the ways in which his own father sought to comfort and reassure him.
Jack Royston is Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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