Palace Insiders Reveal Why Kate Middleton Chose to Keep Her Surgery a Secret

Last week, Buckingham Palace took two very different approaches when it came to announcing King Charles's planned medical procedure to address his enlarged prostate and Kate Middleton's abdominal surgery. By now, royal fans know that the palace announced Charles's operation ahead of time with an official statement but waited until after Kate had undergone surgery before sharing the news with the world. In a new report, sources say that it was intentional and that the decisions were made based on the king's age and Kate's desire to maintain normalcy for her children.

“It was sensible to be more open about it, as otherwise, people might have thought the worst,” a palace insider told People. In its statement, the palace noted that the king wanted to share his diagnosis so that other people would feel less awkward getting treatment — and it's worked. People notes that his announcement last week resulted in a 1,000% increase in inquiries regarding prostate enlargement on the U.K.’s National Health Service website.

Kate, by contrast, had a "desire to maintain as much normality" as possible for her children George, Charlotte, and Louis.

The palace still has not shared the nature of Kate's condition but has noted that it is noncancerous.

"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," the palace's statement read.

Charles is expected to continue his duties as he recovers. By contrast, Kate has cleared her calendar for now and is expected to return to her royal obligations after Easter. She had several engagements on her calendar before the surprise operation, including a trip to Rome. For now, those events haven't been rescheduled.

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