Prince William Accepts Gifts for Kate Middleton As Health Rumors Swirl

Prince William with schoolchildren on St Davids Day — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Two days after Kensington Palace issued a statement about Kate Middleton's health, Prince William took home gifts from Wales schoolchildren for his wife and kids.

Middleton is recovering from an abdominal surgery she had in January, according to the palace; she hasn't been seen in public since Christmas. And while William unexpectedly pulled out of a memorial service for his late godfather on Tuesday, it appears he's back to public service with Friday's school visit.

William was in Wrexham, Wales, to celebrate St. David's Day (and yes, his trip to Wrexham included a pub visit with Wrexham soccer club co-owner Rob McElhenney). He visited the Ysgol Yr Holl Saint/All Saint's School to celebrate Wales' patron saint, and a group of children gave him crocheted red dragon toys to take home to his own kids, a nod to the dragon on the Flag of Wales. The school also gave William a bouquet of red flowers, People notes, and William said he would "pass those on to Catherine."

William also accepted a bouquet of flowers for his wife while visiting a London synagogue to condemn antisemitism on Thursday. The prince met with a Holocaust survivor who told him she missed Kate and gave her best wishes, per the Daily Mail.

In a statement provided to The Sun on Wednesday, a Kensington Palace spokesperson reiterated that Kate likely won't attend public events until later this spring. "We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant," the spokesperson said. Kate's absence hasn't gone unnoticed, though, whether that's in the form of her being missed at William's public events or the conspiracy theories surrounding her health.

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Meghan is a freelance news writer at Marie Claire. Her work has also appeared in Bustle, Refinery29, Popsugar, and other outlets. When she isn't writing, Meghan runs a community for plus-size people in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.