Britain’s Prince William, who returned to public duties on Wednesday following his wife Kate’s surgery and news of his father’s health, thanked people for messages of support after King Charles revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer, Reuters reported , reports News.ro.

“We really appreciate your kindness, thank you,” the Prince of Wales told the press and public as he arrived at a gala dinner for the Ambulance charity in London, where Hollywood actor Tom Cruise was among the guests.

Later, speaking at a charity gala, Prince William thanked again: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you also for the kind messages of support for Catherine and my father, especially in the last few days. It means a lot to everyone. It’s fair to say the last few weeks have been rather ‘medical’,” said the 41-year-old crown prince.

The event was the second official public appearance for the heir to the throne, who resumed his public engagements on Wednesday after putting them on hold to care for his three children after his wife Kate, 42, underwent elective abdominal surgery on 16 January, and then spent two weeks recovering in the hospital.

Meanwhile, his father, King Charles, was being treated at the same hospital for an enlarged prostate. Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that further tests carried out on the 75-year-old monarch revealed that he had a form of cancer.

With the king sidelined from public duties for outpatient treatment and Kate not expected to return to public service until after Easter, the task of maintaining the public image of the monarchy will fall to the rest of the royal family, particularly William and Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla.

Royal expert Robert Hardman said William had already taken on significant state duties at the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign when she was unable to attend due to mobility issues. “It’s not that different in that respect, but obviously there’s a burden of expectation,” Hardman told Reuters. “In many cases he will have to stand his ground, he will be a kind of quasi-head of state in the same way that Prince Charles was when the Queen was immobilized.”

On Tuesday, the king traveled with Queen Camilla to Sandringham House, his residence in eastern England, after a brief meeting lasting about 30 minutes with his son Harry, who had just arrived from the US to see his father after he told him , who has cancer.

Harry has had a frosty relationship with his family, particularly his brother William, after he criticized the monarchy after stepping down from royal duties nearly four years ago.

A royal source said he will not see his older brother William during the short visit to the UK. After only about 24 hours in the UK, Harry was spotted at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday, where he was about to fly home to California, where he now lives with wife Meghan and their two children.

Despite the diagnosis, Charles intends to continue most of his private work as monarch and deal with government documents. He was scheduled to speak by phone with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, his spokesman said.

Buckingham Palace did not provide details on the king’s condition, other than that it was not prostate cancer, but said the king remains “very positive” and looks forward to returning to public service as soon as possible.

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