The Sweet Way Prince George And Princess Charlotte Stepped Up For Kate Amid Her Recovery

Much to the world's surprise, Catherine, Princess of Wales began her abdominal surgery recovery in mid-January 2024 without almost anyone even realizing she had gone in for an operation in the first place. The princess spent nearly two weeks at The London Clinic before being discharged to continue recovering and healing at home. Although Kensington Palace has largely kept the details of Kate's procedure under wraps, a few individuals close to Kate likely have intimate knowledge of what she's going through — the Wales family.

Her husband, Prince William, and their three children have hopefully made the future queen's recovery as smooth as possible. Us Weekly revealed that a source divulged George, Charlotte, and Louis got to comfort their mother following surgery. As a sweet gesture, they "all made her some 'get well soon' cards along with some of her favorite snacks."

Based on the royal announcement posted to Instagram, the youngest royals will likely have some much-cherished downtime with their mom while she heals. "Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter," the statement read. However, the source did note to Us Weekly that Kate is "already eager to get back to work" and has been "back working from her bed." Hopefully, she isn't pushing herself too hard to return to duties.

Although Catherine, Princess of Wales' little ones offered cards and snacks as a get-well-soon gift, they weren't invited to the hospital immediately after their mother's surgery. "I don't think she wanted to make more of a big thing of it than it already was," Ingrid Seward, royal insider and author, explained to People. Therefore, her three children did not go to The London Clinic during her 13-day stay following abdominal surgery.

Instead, the trio got to see their mom via FaceTime, something that is familiar to them when their parents' royal duties take them on lengthy trips outside of the United Kingdom. Additionally, The London Clinic has a policy that they "do not allow children or babies to visit," per their website, for the safety of their patients. As the Princess of Wales, it's conceivable that Kate could have gotten special permission, but she may have had her kid's best interests in mind.

According to People, a previous abdominal surgery patient admitted that he wished he hadn't had his child visit, citing the experience as "really scary." But post-surgery, when Kate returned home, Seward was confident that "they'll be rallying 'round in their own way and helping to look after her."

Although we don't know the specifics of Catherine, Princess of Wales's abdominal surgery, the future queen has taken time off from her royal responsibilities before. Following the birth of each of her children, Kate allowed herself some much-deserved maternity leave. While she has been known to leave the hospital just hours after delivering, the princess has taken months off to bond with her baby.

After Louis's birth in April 2018, she returned to work that following October, after about five months at home. Four months of maternity leave is all that Middleton deemed necessary after the birth of her daughter, Charlotte, in 2015. But after her first, Prince George, in 2013, the brand new mom took little more than a month, just five weeks, before she was back on the job, attending a charity gala.

When it comes to maternity leave, Kate largely gets to choose how much time she wants to take off, a luxury many new moms aren't afforded. However, we have to imagine there is some pressure from the Palace for one of their most important working royals to return to business. Thankfully, her medical team seems to be spearheading her recovery this time, aiming for the princess to completely heal and return to full health before duty calls.