Kate Middleton received a warm welcome from her family upon her return to Windsor after leaving The London Clinic, where she underwent abdominal surgery. The Princess of Wales spent nearly two weeks at the central London private hospital and will now continue her recovery at Adelaide Cottage.
Her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, gave her an extraordinary welcome, reminiscent of the public celebrations when each of them was born.
When Kate and Prince William’s firstborn, Prince George, was born, she felt immense joy but was also terrified about presenting him to the world for the first time.
After two weeks at The London Clinic for her planned abdominal surgery, Kate Middleton has returned home to Windsor to recover.
She will recuperate at Adelaide Cottage, spending quality time with her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
“The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress,” Kensington Palace said in a statement released Monday. “The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided.”
The statement continued, “The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”
“Based on current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
Prince William reportedly visited his wife almost every day while she was at The London Clinic. However, reports indicate that Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis did not visit their mother in the hospital.
Since her return home, Kate has been able to spend quality time with her children, who welcomed her enthusiastically. According to US Magazine, although they didn’t visit her in the hospital, the children have been very attentive since she returned home.
“They’ve all made her ‘get well soon’ cards along with some of her favorite snacks,” a source told the news outlet.
Kate Middleton left the clinic earlier this week via a private exit, the same one she reportedly used when she arrived several weeks ago.
Meanwhile, King Charles used the main exit when he left The London Clinic after undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Though Kate isn’t shy of the spotlight, being a royal presents unique challenges, and there have been times she found it “terrifying.”
In July 2013, William and Kate welcomed their firstborn, George. The world eagerly awaited the announcement, not only because he was a royal baby but also a future king.
Outside the Lindo Wing in Paddington, just hours after his birth, Prince George made his first public appearance before a huge crowd. Leaving the hospital was “terrifying,” according to Kate.
Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby, the Princess of Wales described how daunting it was to present her newborn son to the world.
“Yeah, slightly terrifying, slightly terrifying, I’m not going to lie. I like to decompartmentalize – what’s the word – compartmentalize, yes, the whole thing.” She also explained that she decided to follow in her late mother-in-law Diana’s footsteps by posing on the hospital steps with her newborn, as per the Mirror.
“Everyone had been so supportive, and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about, and you know we’re hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important.”
The Princess of Wales continued, “But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”
Further, Fletcher asked Kate if she remembered how long she had between giving birth to George and posing on the Lindo Wing steps.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t remember. Everything goes in a bit of a blur,” Kate replied.
She concluded, “I think, yeah, I did stay in hospital overnight. I remember it was one of the hottest days and nights with huge thunderstorms, so I didn’t get a huge amount of sleep, but George did, which was really great. I was keen to get home because, for me, being in hospital, I had all the memories of being in hospital because of being sick so it wasn’t a place I wanted to hang around in. So, I was really desperate to get home and get back to normality.”
The birth of Prince George was a significant event, and like any new parents, choosing the baby’s name was important. For future kings, this is especially true.
Royal children in the line of succession typically have three or more names. For example, Charles is named Charles Philip Arthur George, William is named William Arthur Philip Louis, and the late queen was named Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.
The same goes for William and Kate’s three children: George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, and Louis Arthur Charles.
“The further down the line of succession, the more likely you are to have a more unique or untraditional name,” said Carolyn Harris, author of Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting.
The monarch is always informed of the name before it is announced, but Queen Elizabeth – and, in the future, King Charles – didn’t have to approve the parents’ choice.
When Prince George was born, William and Kate struggled to choose his name. They came up with a unique solution: involving their dog, Lupo. According to the Times, they wrote possible names on scraps of paper and spread them on the floor. Lupo picked George, and the decision was made.
Sadly, Lupo passed away in 2020.
“Very sadly, our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years, and we will miss him so much,” William and Kate shared on social media.
Shortly after Lupo’s death, the Wales family welcomed a new cocker spaniel puppy, Orla, into their lives. Adopted from Kate’s brother, James Middleton, Orla has become a beloved family member. George, Charlotte, and Louis now have a new four-legged friend to grow up with.
While Kate found it “terrifying” when George was born, the pregnancy was also challenging.
In 2012, when pregnant with their firstborn, Kate was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, acute morning sickness, and had to be hospitalized, which she recalled as “rotten.”
Kate experienced the same condition when pregnant with Charlotte and Louis, even having to cancel a royal tour in 2014 because of it.
Last year, during a visit to the Orchards Centre in Kent, the Princess of Wales spoke about her experience with acute morning sickness.
“I was really sick,” she told a father whose wife went through the same thing. “I know what that feels like.”
In 2020, Kate discussed her condition on Giovanna Fletcher’s podcast.
“[It was] utterly rotten. I was really sick,” she said. “I wasn’t eating the things I should be eating and yet the body was still able to take all the goodness from my body and to grow new life, which I think is fascinating.”
“William didn’t feel he could do much to help and it’s hard to see you’re suffering without actually being able to do anything about it.”
Kate added that she “quite liked” labor because she had felt so bad during her pregnancy.
“Because actually, it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to,” she explained. “But I know some people have really, really difficult times, so it’s not for everybody. No pregnancy is the same, no birth is the same.”
Kate began meditating and deep breathing, which helped.
“I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick,” she said. “I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people.”
The podcast host asked, “Have you had it every time or just the first time?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” Kate responded. “Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge. Not just for me but also for your loved ones around you – and I think that’s the thing – being pregnant and having a newborn baby impacts everybody in the family.”
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