Why it's 'not suitable' for Kate Middleton to leave hospital right now

Last week the Palace announced that the Princess of Wales had undergone abdominal surgery and will be spending some time in hospital to recover. Kate is not expected to return to royal duties for three months, and her husband Prince William has postponed his engagements for the foreseeable future. 

In a statement shared on Instagram on Wednesday, Kensington Palace said: "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery. The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

The details surrounding her surgery have remained private, with the Palace sharing that they will 'only provide updates on [Kate's] progress when there is significant new information', but royal correspondent Michael Cole has claimed that the Princess won't be returning to her home in Windsor immediately as 'it's not an absolutely ideal place'. 

He told GB News: "She is going to be in hospital for up to two weeks as she improves, and I hope that she does very rapidly. After she fully recovers she will convalesce initially at Windsor at Adelaide Cottage where they have a house in the grounds. They will stay there I think because the children are at school and she will want to be close to her children."

He added: "It's not an absolutely ideal place. A former tenant of Adelaide Cottage was Mrs Rosemary Townsend, the wife of Group Captain Peter Townsend, who famously had an affair with Princess Margaret. And she wrote in her memoirs that it was the coldest place she'd ever encountered in the whole of her life."

The Princess of Wales is expected to recover at The London Clinic for up to two weeks, but it has been reported by The Times that she will continue to work remotely as much as she is able once she returns home. 

Last week, the Palace also announced that King Charles has 'sought treatment for an enlarged prostate' and will attend hospital this week for 'a corrective procedure'. 

We will continue to update this story.