Princess of Wales in hospital after planned abdominal surgery

Kate Middleton has today undergone a planned abdominal surgery at a private hospital in London.

According to a statement released by Kensington Palace today (17 January), the Princess of Wales, 42, is expected to 'remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days' following the 'successful' procedure.

The message - delivered to the official Instagram page of Kate and her husband Prince William - added that the mother-of-three is 'unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter'.

A spokesperson said: "The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate.

"She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.

"Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.

"The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements.

Instagram/@princeandprincessofwales

"She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible."

The Palace hasn't yet confirmed what health condition the princess was being treated for, but it confirmed that her condition was non-cancerous.

It is highly likely that her husband - and heir to the British throne - will in turn postpone several of the royal engagements they were to attend together.

Instead, the Prince of Wales will spend the coming weeks supporting his family - including his three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, as his wife continues to recover from her procedure.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

William's official duties won't likely return to the schedule until Kate is better, with officials providing a revised schedule for him in the coming weeks.

Kate is close to her family, and her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and sibling Pippa Matthews and James Middleton are set to rally round and help support her recovery at the Wales’ home in Windsor.

Neither of the pair will travel overseas in the coming weeks.

Topics: Royal Family, Health

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

@rhiannaBjourno