Prince William's First Engagement Since Kate Middleton's Cancer News Is Heartbreaking

William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales spent the first part of early 2024 keeping a low profile as the princess worked through health struggles that culminated in a heartbreaking cancer announcement on March 22, 2024. Weeks later, on April 18, William visited Surplus to Supper, a surplus food distribution charity about 16 miles southeast of London, unaccompanied by his wife as might be expected in light of her health news.

The prince spent the royal engagement speaking to the public, loading meals into delivery fans, and he even got his hands dirty in the kitchen, helping Surplus to Supper workers make a hearty tomato-based Bolognese sauce. William appeared to be in good spirits, smiling and laughing with the charity employees. However, we couldn't help but feel saddened by the multiple ways Kate's absence was felt at the event.

William's first public appearance post-cancer announcement certainly had Kate at the front of everyone's minds. But considering Bolognese sauce was also one of the first meals William cooked for his then-girlfriend Kate in the early 2000s, one couldn't help but doubly notice the beloved princess' absence.

In January 2023, Prince William visited Together as One, a charity located about 50 miles west of London, where he spent the morning helping workers make chicken teriyaki and noodles for lunch. While he was cooking, he complimented his wife Kate Middleton on her culinary skills, saying that she was the best cook in the family. "I do a bit of cooking, not much, though," William confessed. "Catherine's very good" (via Daily Mail). 

Still, that doesn't mean William hasn't tried his best. While speaking with Mary Berry for "A Berry Royal Christmas" in 2019, Kate revealed that her husband has a few specialty meals up his sleeve. "He's very good at breakfast," Kate explained (via People). "In our university days, he used to cook all sorts of meals. I think that's when he was trying to impress me, Mary — things like Bolognese sauce and things like that."

Indeed, it was hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy for the future king as he publicly made a meal he often made for his future wife, all while having to handle Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis privately. Kate's absence and condition weren't lost on the event's attendees, either. Volunteer Rachel Candappa delivered get-well-soon cards to William to deliver to Kate, telling the prince to make sure he cared for his wife. The prince, moved by the gesture, placed his hand on Candappa's shoulder and said, "I will" (via Standard).