William visits Kate in hospital as he steps back from royal duties to care for family

PRINCE William visited wife Kate yesterday before she spent a third night in hospital after major abdominal surgery.

- Emily Ferguson

The heir to the throne was seen driving away from the London Clinic in an Audi, after leaving via the rear exit around lunchtime.

William, 41, headed away from the private hospital in Marylebone to his home in Windsor, in time for his children's return from school.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have a family-first approach and always try to make sure one of them does the school run whenever possible.

William is taking a break from royal duties and will split his time between home and London for the duration of his wife's stay in hospital, which could be up to two weeks.

Sources said he did not stay with Kate at the hospital immediately after her surgery on Tuesday, but instead went home to be with Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.

He is not expected to undertake any official duties until the Princess is settled back in Windsor, so is unlikely to return to work until the second week of February.

But William is expected to take the young royals to see their mother in hospital.

It will be a weekend visit so their education is not disrupted.

Meanwhile their grandfather, King Charles will have a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate in hospital next week.

But the 75-year-old monarch is not expected to be out of action for as long as his daughter-in-law and has only postponed engagements for a "short period".

Veteran royal Fitzwilliams commentator Richard described the Prince of Wales as a devoted father and husband.

He said: "From the beginning of his marriage to Catherine, William has tried to keep life as normal as possible and put his family as well as duty at its heart.

"The early period with the RAF in Anglesey and then with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and only taking up full-time royal duties in 2017, was evidence of this.