London – Prince William made his first public appearance on Thursday since his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales, shared her cancer diagnosis last month. Kate, as she is commonly known, is undergoing treatment for unspecified cancer, and William stayed out of the public eye for several weeks to support his wife, but Thursday saw him return to royal business with a visit to a food charity.
William met some of the people behind the not-for-profit group Surplus to Supper, which delivers food that would otherwise have been rejected by shops to the underprivileged.
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Last week, the Prince of Wales was spotted at a private social event, cheering from the stands with his eldest son Prince George at an Aston Villa football match.
Kate's announcement in a March video that he had begun a course of “preventive chemotherapy” caused an outpouring of sympathy from around the world. In Britain, polls show the princess has become the most popular member of the royal family. His last public appearance was on Christmas Day, when he attended a church service with his family.
The release of the video came after online speculation about Kate's health, with some even suggesting, without any evidence, that she was dealing with problems in her marriage. Conspiracy theories were fueled in part by a doctored photo that was released by Kensington Palace and attributed to Kate on British Mother's Day.
King Charles IIIwho is also being treated for an unspecified form of cancer, he met with supporters outside a church on Easter Sunday.
“Stay strong,” said a man in the crowd, “never give up.”
Kate, however, has made it clear that she will only return to her royal duties when she is ready.
“We hope you understand that as a family, we now need time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment,” she said in the video. “For now, I have to focus on making a full recovery.”
Holly Williams
