Prince William Forced To Leave Pregnant And Ailing Kate Middleton As He Heads To New Zealand

Kate Middleton is pregnant with her third child, and ever since her pregnancy announcement in early September, she has had to cancel appearances due to illness. Now the palace has announced that Prince William will be heading to New Zealand alone for a royal appointment, while his wife stays behind in England.

Kensington Palace announced, via Twitter, that the Prince will be attending the New Zealand commemoration for the Battle of Passchendaele next week, representing Her Majesty the Queen.

However, the Duchess continues to battle severe morning sickness, also known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) and will remain in London while her husband travels abroad.

According to the Today Show, HG is so painful that it can cause vomiting as often as every ten minutes, nausea, weight loss, and electrolyte imbalances.

Middleton has suffered from the illness in each of her three pregnancies, but apparently this time it is worse than ever. According to experts, it gets progressively worse every time a woman who suffers from HG is expecting.

When appearing at a reception for the Metropolitan and City Police Orphans Fund, The Express reports that Prince William spoke to 98-year-old Iris Orrell and she shared her story about her battle with HG. She agreed that the effects increase with each child.

The two then discussed eating “ginger biscuits,” which is what Orrell’s doctor had advised her to do because ginger is supposed to help curb the illness’ effects. William replied that they had tried ginger, but there isn’t much it can do.

Orrell then said she wished Duchess Kate well, and the Duke replied by thanking her and said that she is feeling better.

Middleton’s struggle with Hyperemesis Gravidarum has been so difficult, that it has forced her to miss private events as well as public ones. She was absent on Prince George’s first day of school.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have not announced when she is due to give birth. Most estimate that she will deliver in March or April of next year. Bookies are already taking bets on what the couple will name the baby, with Alice being the top choice with 8 to 1 odds. Other popular choices include Elizabeth, Victoria, and Alexandra.

[Featured Image by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images]