Prince William will 'speak about King's cancer diagnosis and what his family has been through' as ​​he returns to his royal duties this morning for the first time since Charles and Kate's abdominal surgery

Prince William is expected to speak for the first time about his father King Charles III's cancer diagnosis at a charity gala tonight as he returns to his royal duties.

The Prince of Wales will publicly acknowledge his father's illness tonight in a speech at the London Air Ambulance's annual fundraising gala in London.

William is also expected to thank possible well-wishers and speak about what the royal family has been through in recent days since the monarch's diagnosis.

However, he does not want to talk about the ongoing disruption to relations between him and Prince Harry – and has no plans to see his brother while he visits Britain.

William will make two public engagements today: first he will hold an investiture ceremony on behalf of the king at Windsor Castle, and tonight he will host the charity gala.

It will be William's first appearance since Kate Middleton went to hospital for abdominal surgery. The prince was last seen outside the London Clinic after visiting his wife on January 18 – and she will remain out of the public eye until at least Easter.

Although the heir to the throne will return to public duties today – having decided to 'clear his diary' to support the Princess of Wales during and after her operation last month – he is not expected to take on full-time royal duties . not at all yet.

At today's inauguration, William will present more than 50 awards, including one to former England women's footballer Ellen White, 34.

In the evening he will attend London Air Ambulance's annual fundraising gala in central London. He has been a patron of the charity since 2020.

The dinner is being held in support of the charity's biggest ever fundraising campaign, hoping to raise £15 million to replace its helicopter fleet.

After today, Prince William has no further duties planned this week and will be back with Kate and the kids during their half-term break next week.

Princess Anne will also be back in action today after giving four engagements yesterday, three of which are planned today in Berkshire, London and Oxfordshire.

A source said: 'The prince has always made it clear that his priority for now is to support his wife and family – and he has not put a timetable on that.

“He'll be back at work on Wednesday, but you shouldn't expect to see him again for a while after that.”

It is understood his team at Kensington Palace are speaking to their counterparts at Buckingham Palace about what public engagements William could potentially attend in his father's place.

They are likely to line up for further investitures and may lead the family at events such as the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey early next month.

But with His Majesty's insistence on keeping his hand firmly on the helm of state affairs during his treatment, it is highly unlikely that the future king will be required to take over constitutional matters.

It is understood William, 41, has his father's '100 per cent' support to return at his own pace.

A source said: 'The King adores Catherine and thinks she is doing a great job. He understands that family comes first.”

The King has been spending more and more time at Windsor Castle since his accession, often staying over on Sunday evenings, giving him more time with his son and young grandchildren with whom he is becoming increasingly close.

William, who now lives in Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate, a short walk from the castle, also often uses rooms in the historic royal residence for meetings.

The Princess of Wales was unexpectedly admitted to hospital last month for what was only described as an 'abdominal operation'.

She spent two weeks at The London Clinic, where the king also underwent his prostate surgery, and is unlikely to return to royal duties until after Easter.

Aides said at the time that her husband had canceled all his upcoming appointments so he could be by her side and support their children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis.

While they didn't put a timeline on it, sources suggested the prince would stay with them in Windsor for “several weeks.”

William has always made it clear that at this stage of his life his duty to his family is more important than his public role.

However, it is unheard of for three senior members of the royal family to be out of action at the same time, especially with the King likely to be away for longer than planned, meaning working royals will be in short supply.

And this means that there will inevitably be more pressure on the future king to act.