After Kate's cancer announcement, William set to take part in first public engagement

THE Prince of Wales, Prince William, is likely to resume his royal duties and carry out his first public engagement after his wife Princess Kate Middleton announced last month she has been diagnosed with cancer. As per media reports, Prince William is set to visit Surrey and West London on Thursday,  April 18. 

Citing a Kensington Palace statement, NBC News reported Prince William is scheduled to visit west London and the neighbouring county of Surrey “to highlight the work of community and environmental impact organizations in the area." Additionally, he would also visit a food redistribution charity and a youth center, media reports have stated.

Earlier, CNN had reported that Prince William is expected to resume his public duties once their children return to school. 

On April 12, Prince William was seen making his first public appearance as he attended a football match between Aston Villa and Lille with his son Prince George. The 41-year-old heir to the British throne was pictured smiling and clapping with son George, 10, as his team Aston Villa recorded a 2-1 win in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.

Meanwhile, William and Kate did not take part in the Easter Sunday service hosted by King Charles. Neither did they join other Royals in the traditional get-together in Windsor. The Royals spent Easter with their children--Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Kate made her cancer diagnosis public via a video on March 22. Kate was diagnosed with cancer after an abdominal surgery in January. The cancer is reportedly not connected with the surgery.  The type of cancer, nevertheless, has not been disclosed. In the message, she had said that she is undergoing "preventive" chemotherapy.

"This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," the 42-year-old Princess said. "As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery to start my treatment," she said in the video.