Prince William will continue to prioritise Kate Middleton and his children’s welfare ahead of his full-time royal duties after deciding to clear his diary to support his wife while she recovers from surgery

Prince William will continue to put the well-being of his wife and children at the forefront as he helps his ailing father.

Although the heir to the throne will return to public duties today – having decided to ‘clear his diary’ to support the Princess of Wales during and after her operation last month – he is not expected to take on full-time royal duties . not at all yet.

He will make two public engagements: in the morning he will hold an investiture on behalf of the King at Windsor Castle, followed by a gala dinner in central London in the evening in his role as patron of the London Air Ambulance.

However, after that he has no further tasks planned this week and will be back with Kate and the children during their half-term holiday next week.

A source said: ‘The prince has always made it clear that his priority for now is to support his wife and family – and he has not put a timetable on that.

“He’ll be back at work on Wednesday, but you shouldn’t expect to see him again for a while after that.”

It is understood his team at Kensington Palace are speaking to their counterparts at Buckingham Palace about what public engagements William could potentially attend in his father’s place.

They are likely to line up for further investitures and may lead the family at events such as the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey early next month.

But with His Majesty’s insistence on keeping his hand firmly on the helm of state affairs during his treatment, it is highly unlikely that the future king will be required to take over constitutional matters.

It is understood William, 41, has his father’s ‘100 per cent’ support to return at his own pace.

A source said: ‘The King adores Catherine and thinks she is doing a great job. He understands that family comes first.”

The King has been spending more and more time at Windsor Castle since his accession, often staying over on Sunday evenings, giving him more time with his son and young grandchildren with whom he is becoming increasingly close.

William, who now lives at Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate, a short walk from the castle, also often uses rooms in the historic royal residence for meetings.

The Princess of Wales was unexpectedly admitted to hospital last month for what was only described as an ‘abdominal operation’.

She spent two weeks at The London Clinic, where the King also underwent his prostate surgery, and is unlikely to return to royal duties until after Easter.

Aides said at the time that her husband had canceled all his upcoming appointments so he could be by her side and support their children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis.

While they didn’t put a timeline on it, sources suggested the prince would stay with them in Windsor for “several weeks.”

William has always made it clear that at this stage of his life his duty to his family is more important than his public role.

However, it is unheard of for three senior members of the royal family to be out of action at the same time, especially with the King likely to be away for longer than planned, meaning working royals will be in short supply.

And this means that there will inevitably be more pressure on the future king to act.

At today’s inauguration, William will present more than 50 awards, including one to former England women’s footballer Ellen White, 34.

In the evening he will attend London Air Ambulance’s annual fundraising gala in central London. He has been a patron of the charity since 2020.

The dinner is being held in support of the charity’s biggest ever fundraising campaign, hoping to raise £15 million to replace its helicopter fleet.

William will make a speech and is expected to publicly acknowledge his father’s illness for the first time and possibly thank his well-wishers.