Kate Middleton has stayed at the London Clinic for more than a week. The lavish private hospital in the central parts of the city, only a 20-minute drive away from Buckingham Palace, has become her home in the last week. Still, soon, the Princess of Wales will get to go home to Windsor as she will continue her recovery from the abdominal surgery.
While Kate surely can’t wait to get home, the London Clinic offers everything she possibly could want. Many famous people have been patients there, including Prince Philip and JFK.
Even though she stated that she wanted to get back on the royal road and perform her duties as soon as possible, she stressed it could harm her. Now, a doctor issues a warning to Kate, which could be critical.
Kate has cleared her diary until she fully recovers, whilst William has also postponed his engagements to be by his wife’s side and support their children.
It is understood the Prince of Wales is now in charge of dropping off and picking up their kids from school.
Kate Middleton still at hospital following surgery
But while Kate is not expected to be back to attending engagements until after Easter, she is still likely to continue working in a manner consistent with her recovery, especially on matters relating to her campaigns.
While Kate Middleton is staying at one of the most luxurious private hospitals in the country, there are many things money can’t buy. One is the love of one’s family, and as the Princess of Wales now has spent more than a week at the hospital, we’re sure she misses her children and husband – just as much as they miss her.
Luckily, besides George, Charlotte, and Louis visiting her at least once, they talk to each other via FaceTime.
Hello! Magazine reports that the Prince of Wales uses her phone to call her children via FaceTime. Not only can they talk to her, but see her through video.
“Kate loves FaceTiming the children when she is working away overseas, so I’m sure they will be in regular contact while she’s in hospital, and the kids will be keen to see her as soon as she’s well enough,” Hello Royal Editor, Emily Nash said, as per Express.
“Both William and Kate are very hands-on parents – they take the kids to school, attend sports matches and concerts and try to be home for bedtime as much as they can. While Kate is in hospital, William will be at home keeping things as normal as possible.”
Inside The London Clinic where Kate Middleton had surgery
So what’s it like staying at The London Clinic? The private hospital, located in central of London and just one hour’s car ride from Windsor, has had many famous guests over the years. It was opened by the then Duke and Duchess of York in 1932 and has become a hospital that many celebrities have visited.
John F. Kennedy, then a US Congressman, was diagnosed with Addison’s disease at the clinic in 1947. In 1963, Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor underwent a knee operation at The London Clinic after falling while filming a movie.
Moreover, in 1998, the former dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, was arrested for crimes against humanity while at the private hospital.
The royal family has been in contact with The London Clinic in several ways. Starting in the 1980s, royal family members have been officially launching several of the hospital’s facilities. In 1989, then-Prince Charles opened its physiotherapy department, and two years later Princess Margret opened the MRI unit. In 2010, Queen Elizabeth II visited The London Clinic to open its new cancer unit.
Today, per the Daily Mail, the private hospital has a leading cancer center where patients undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Kate Middleton isn’t the only royal family member who has been a patient there. In 1980, Princess Margaret was treated at the London Clinic to have a benign skin lesion removed, and in 2013, Prince Philip went through what was described as an “abdominal investigation.”
Patients get their own concierge service
So, what can one expect as a patient at The London Clinic? Well, it certainly seems like you will have quite the stay.
The large, private rooms include an electronic patient-controlled bed, a private bathroom, a large TV, and a deposit box. The food is arranged by head chef Paul O’Brien, who makes a variety of dishes for the patients.
Patients get their own concierge service, while the hospital’s chef serves fish from Cornish boats and meat from Smithfields Market, The Economic Times report.
Moreover, a concierge can help patients arrange travel and accommodation while also booking tours, theatre shows, and restaurants.
A former patient at The London Clinic Rooms has spoken to People about what it’s like. The person said that the private hospital has “three or four different menus” to satisfy a range of dietary preferences and requirements.
“I had a really good experience. I think the experience is always dominated by how well your surgery goes and the best surgeons are associated with The London Clinic, who are leading in their field in both research and surgery. I had a super surgeon, it was all very efficient; I was on the operating table two hours after I went in,” the insider told People.
“The level of service was excellent,” the former patient continued.
“The food is good. It’s à la carte so if you want to make changes, they are pretty good. I was on a strict diet at the beginning, but when I had visitors, they were easily able to order whatever they wanted from the normal menu.”
Kate’s parents and siblings to help her during recovery period
When Kate Middleton gets home to Windsor, her family will support her a little extra throughout her recovery.
Her parents, Michael and Carole, and her siblings, Pippa Matthews (former Middleton) and James, will help her in any way they can. Since they don’t live far away, the Middleton’s will certainly be able to help with their children, who has had sleepovers several times at their grandparents’ house in Berkshire.
Carole Middleton loves being a grandmother. Kate’s sister, Pippa, has three children and in October last year, their brother James became a dad for the first time as he and his wife, Alizée Thevenet, welcomed a baby boy.
With Prince William and Princess Kate’s three kids, it’s safe to say that Carole and Michael have plenty on their hands when their grandkids visit.
Speaking with Saga Magazine in 2021, Carole revealed that she loved gardening with her grandchildren.
“It’s important for children to grow up appreciating nature and part of that is allowing them to get a bit muddy,” she said, per Hello.
Moreover, in an interview with Good Housekeeping, Kate’s mother described herself as a “hands-on” grandmother.
“I want to run down the hills, climb the trees and go through the tunnel at the playground,” Carole said. “As long as I am able to, that’s what I’ll be doing. I cook with them, I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides.”
Kate Middleton issued “serious” warning by doctor
Even though Kate Middleton has been surrounded by some of the best doctors at the London Clinic, that doesn’t mean they can “heal” her body any quicker. She will rest for nearly a month before Easter arrives, and yet, while she reportedly has done some work from her hospital bed, doing too much too early can be a severe health risk. As the Princess of Wales is known to be very active, it will probably be challenging for her.
According to Dr Max Pemberton, a full-time psychiatrist with the NHS, returning to work too soon can be devastating. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Pemberton says that Kate must “not rush back” after her surgery and issues a warning.
“The Palace has said she’ll be taking time off official duties until Easter and on this, I think she’s incredibly sensible. We don’t know what’s wrong or why she needed the operation, but Kate has always struck me as quite down-to-earth, level-headed and stoical, so I’m sure she wouldn’t have heeded medical advice and taken that much time off unless really necessary,” he said.
“Abdominal surgery is serious. Of course, there’s always someone who will tell you how they had a hysterectomy in their lunch break, or their appendix removed while on the school run. But in reality we should all be taking a leaf out of Kate’s book and convalescing properly.”
Dr. Max Pemberton continued describing that we, in this somewhat stressful world, all must fully recover physically and mentally before returning to any kind of work. Just like Princess Kate, Pemberton explains that he, too, has had abdominal surgery.
“Looking back, wish I’d appreciated how major my operation was and taken the time needed to recover,” he stated.
Royal expert concerned over Kate’s hospital stay
The doctor concluded, “I hope Kate makes a speedy recovery, but also hope she doesn’t return to duties until she’s good and ready.”
Exactly when Kate Middleton will leave The London Clinic for Windsor is unknown. In the statement released last week, Kensington Palace said that the princess was to stay for nine to 14 days.
The fact that Kate might stay for two weeks has left royal expert and author Angela Levin concerned. Speaking with GB News, she said it’s “unusual” to stay for 14 days, especially considering it’s the Princess of Wales.
“If at home you’ve got all the comfort that you could have with someone coming in and looking after you,” Levin said. “She could have nurses galore, and the children could see their mother. But she is there for 14 days, and they seem very firm that she won’t be doing anything until around Easter, which is a very long time.
“I think that’s the most scary thing about it. She works so hard and tries so hard that I think it’s very concerning that she’s there. She’s not the sort of woman who wants to stay in a hospital.”
Angela Levin added that Prince William might feel “lonely” at home without his wife. However, the “children will cheer him up.”
“I think it’s a very lonely feeling. And I think that he’s doing his best because he’s got children,” she continued. “I think children can cheer you up or something like that, and he’s got the responsibility of looking after them.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate…”
The royal expert, who’s written several books on the royal family, also had a say about the fact that King Charles’ statement about his treatment for an enlarged prostate came just an hour after Kate’s.
Although Buckingham Palace wanted to ensure the public knew about King Charles’ treatment, Angela Levin is critical about the timing, saying that the king “could have waited” to announce his health update.
“With the Queen, you would never know until she’d been to perhaps hospital and had what she needed to be done and then got home. Then she would say something,” Levin told GB News.
“It’s very rare indeed. I don’t think it’s appropriate to come out with it on the same day that we were astonished by Catherine’s problem in hospital. I think that it could have waited, but I think as well it’s very quick.”
The royal expert added: “It was only discovered a week or so ago in Scotland and obviously, once you know about these things, you have to have them done quickly. But I admire him enormously for encouraging people to do it.”
