The Prince and Princess of Wales are due to make a high-profile visit to Rome this spring as part of a European charm offensive.
But after it was revealed today by Kensington Palace that Kate, 42, is being treated in hospital following a successful abdominal operation, could her first work trip abroad in more than a year be cancelled?
The mother-of-three was admitted to the London Clinic in Marylebone yesterday for the planned procedure and is expected to remain in hospital for ten to 14 days.
She will then return to Windsor in Berkshire to continue her recovery with the support of her family. The future queen is likely to be advised to recover for two to three months and is not expected to return to public events until after Easter.
Last month, The Mail revealed that talks were underway at the highest level about William and Kate’s first trip to Italy and that a date had been ‘set in’.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are due to make a high-profile visit to Rome this spring as part of a European charm offensive (Kate and William pictured at BAFTA in London in January 2023)
It is not yet clear whether the short visit would also include a meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican.
Although Kensington Palace has not officially announced the trip, the charm offensive was intended to mark the couple’s first trip on behalf of the government as the new Princess and Princess of Wales.
This is because although they traveled to Boston in the US this time last year, the trip was for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, a personal initiative.
At the time, it was understood that negotiations surrounding the couple’s meeting with Pope Francis were still ‘very high on the table’ and that ‘nothing has been decided yet’.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have visited Rome twice in recent years and during both visits they made a point of meeting the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and Pope Francis in 2017.
But Pope Francis, 87, is in poorer health and canceled a trip to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai at the last minute.
A source said a possible meeting still needs to be discussed at embassy level. Kensington Palace would not comment directly on the trip to Rome, but a spokesperson said: “We look forward to announcing the Prince and Princess’ travel plans in due course.”
It was understood at the time that negotiations surrounding the couple’s meeting with Pope Francis were still “very high on the table” and that “nothing has been decided yet.”
It comes after their last official government trip – to the Caribbean in March 2022 – was beset by a host of PR problems.
Villagers in Belize used the visit to protest indigenous land issues, while in Jamaica there were republican demonstrations and uncomfortable questions about whether the tour had too much of a ‘colonial’ tone. Italy would look very different.
There is still great interest in the British Royal Family in the country and the popularity of the late Princess Diana continues.
As one of the world’s fashion meccas, it’s also likely that a visit from the stylish Princess of Wales would be very welcome.
Members of the Royal Family undertake foreign trips at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and are intended to promote diplomatic, trade and cultural ties between Britain and the host country.
The princess probably speaks some Italian while she was in Florence during her gap year.
After leaving Marlborough College in 2000 at the age of 18, she lived and studied in the city with four friends.
Then just Kate Middleton, she studied at the British Institute of Florence at Palazzo dello Strozzino, where she focused on Italian and art history.
Bye! The Princess of Wales spent part of her gap year in Florence and is said to have a reasonable command of the Italian language
Kensington Palace announced today that the Princess of Wales has undergone abdominal surgery
She then enrolled at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland, to study art history.
The Princess of Wales is being treated in hospital after successful abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace announced today.
Kate, 42, was admitted to the London Clinic on Tuesday for the planned procedure. The future queen is expected to remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days before returning home to continue her recovery.
The princess will likely need between two and three months to recover and is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter based on current medical advice, the palace said.
The Prince of Wales will not perform any official duties while his wife is in hospital and during the period immediately following her return home.
Heir to the throne William will combine his presence at Kate’s side with caring for their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and he has postponed a number of engagements.
The palace declined to confirm what Kate was being treated for, but confirmed the condition was not cancer.
Kate is close to her family, and her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and siblings Pippa Matthews and James Middleton will join her and help support her recovery at the Waleses’ home in Windsor.
Kate, Charlotte, George, William and Louis at the service on Christmas Day 2023 at Sandringham
A spokesperson said: ‘The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate.
“She hopes the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normalcy as possible for her children; and her desire for her personal medical information to remain private.
‘Kensington Palace will therefore only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’s progress if there is important new information to share.
“The Princess of Wales would like to apologize to everyone involved for having to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to hiring as many people as possible again as soon as possible.”
There will be no more international trips for the prince and princess in the coming months.
The princess celebrated her birthday just over a week ago, with the monarchy’s official social media accounts sharing a new behind-the-scenes photo of the princess at the king’s coronation.
Kate is generally in good health, but was hospitalized earlier in her pregnancy after suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe morning sickness.
Like the rest of the royal family, she has had a busy, turbulent time in recent years, with the platinum jubilee and death of the late queen in 2022, and the coronation in 2023. She has also adapted to her new role as Princess of Wales.
The Waleses also confronted the ongoing rift between William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex, with Harry making controversial claims about Charles, Camilla, William and Kate in his Netflix documentary and memoir Spare.