Prince William withdraws from commemoration of Greek king due to ‘personal issues’

Prince William was scheduled to attend the memorial service at Windsor Castle (file photo)

London:

Prince William, heir to the British throne, withdrew from a memorial service on Tuesday, citing “personal issues” as his wife Catherine recovers from abdominal surgery and her father, King Charles III, has been diagnosed with cancer.

The company declined to give further details but said Catherine, Princess of Wales, continued to “do well”.

William was due to attend a memorial service for the late Greek King Constantine, who was also his godfather, at Windsor Castle, west London.

The palace said the Prince of Wales had called the Greek royal family attending the funeral to inform them he would not be able to attend.

Earlier this year, the king and Catherine were hospitalized around the same time, leading to a sudden shortage of frontline royals.

The family’s health problems left William shouldering a heavy burden of public duties while supporting Catherine and helping to care for their three children.

Charles was admitted to hospital last month for surgery for a benign prostate condition but was later diagnosed with an unrelated cancer.

He stepped back from public-facing duties while undergoing treatment.

Catherine also underwent abdominal surgery and is now recovering after being hospitalized for two weeks.

Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, is attending a memorial service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

King Constantine of Greece died in January 2023.

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