Prince William has had a difficult few weeks due to the surgery that his wife Kate Middleton underwent and the cancer diagnosis that his father, King Charles III, received. He chose to stay out of arguments with his younger brother Prince Harry, which has been adding to his problems. However, this week at the London Air Ambulance Charity dinner, the Prince of Wales gave off a laid-back vibe. He mingled with employees and admirers at the star-studded fundraiser, even taking a picture with the cinematic icon Tom Cruise. Additionally, William attempted to lighten the mood by joking that he chose to attend the gala “to get away from it all”.
As per The UK Mirror , William thanked the gala and the public for all the love and support that has been pouring in, “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus. So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all! But, seriously, we gather tonight to help as many people as possible benefit from top-class care in the silhouette of London Air Ambulance’s flying lifelines. As a former pilot for East Anglia Air Ambulance, I know just how vital the work of air ambulance teams across the country is, and the truly life-saving difference it can make to deliver urgent medical care wherever injury strikes can make.” It came after he said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all.”
It has been reported that the Prince of Wales “remains focused” on Kate and her children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, and is not anticipated to resume full-time duties just yet. It follows rumors that William has “no plans” to see brother Harry when visiting their father in the UK. A close palace source revealed to The Daily Mail , “The Prince has always made clear that his priority is to support his wife and family for the time being – and he did not put a timescale on that. He will make a return to duties on Wednesday but you should not expect to see him again for a bit after that.”
Mikel Arteta was sat next to Prince William and Tom Cruise at London’s Air Ambulance’ Charity Black & White Gala Ball 🤵 pic.twitter.com/hciseihBJn
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William knows he has his father’s “complete” support to go back to his royal duties at his speed. A source said: “The King adores Catherine and thinks she is doing a wonderful job. He understands that family comes first.” Prince William will be spending next week’s half-term holiday with Kate and the kids as he has no other commitments. The London Air Ambulance charity gala raised over £1.2 million, surpassing an astonishing amount of all the previous galas.