In case you’re wondering how Prince William is doing these days with his wife’s weeks-long hospitalization, surgery and projected months-long recovery, the answer is “fine.” We actually haven’t seen much of William in January, and he’s only been photographed once outside the London Clinic. Reportedly, those in the Berkshire/Windsor community believe he will not be “fazed” at all:

Prince William ‘won’t be fazed’ by parenting Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis while the Princess of Wales recovers from her surgery, an insider has claimed. The Prince of Wales, 41, is said to be a ‘hands-on’ father and is regularly seen dropping off and picking up his children at Lambrook School in Berkshire.

Speaking to HELLO!, an insider has claimed that the news of Kate’s surgery had ‘shocked’ the ‘close knit’ community of parents. They said: ‘He is a regular at the school gate and events and he’s very hands-on as a dad, so being in charge while Kate is away won’t faze him. They often do things as a full family unit and he’s very confident looking after the kids.’

On top of this, the source said the parents at Lambrook will ‘rally around [William] to offer any help they can’ in coming weeks.

[From The Daily Mail]

Sure. I actually believe that during Kate’s hospitalization, William and Nanny Maria probably have most things covered when it comes to the kids. Still, it’s weird that this is the message seemingly coming out of KP – everything’s fine, William has it covered, he’s not fazed in the least. Especially since there’s also a movement to make it sound like Kate’s absence will be felt dramatically all across the UK.

Kate Middleton’s absence from royal life has been “felt so hugely” that she’s now seen as an “irreplaceable” member of the family. According to brand and PR expert Denise Palmer-Davies, Kate’s stint in hospital has only cemented her place in the family and shown her to be “the most valuable jewel in the crown.”

Denise, director of Borne Media, told Fabulous: “Kate’s commitment and dedication to royal life is unquestionable, so her absence will be felt so hugely. It would be impossible for anyone else to step into her shoes during this time because there isn’t anyone who can do what she does. She is irreplaceable. Her knowledge and dedication to early years, and her work in shaping our future generation, is so unique to her and such a personal project that there isn’t another family member who can take the reins or slip into that role.

“Kate also has this incredible aura – much like her late mother in law, Princess Diana – that cannot be replicated. She has always been held in high regard by the King, and the late Queen, but I think now senior members are really feeling it – they are missing the most valuable jewel in the crown.”

Talk TV’s royal editor Sarah Hewson agrees, saying her break from royal life “highlights how central she is in the family.”

She said: “She’s one of its most popular members, she certainly is the most photographed. But it’s not about the number of engagements that she does, it’s about the impact that they have, and that she’s able to have, because when she does something, it gets noticed. As the late Queen said ‘We need to be seen to be believed’ so when Kate isn’t there, you really do notice it. She brings the star dust, and that’s really essential to a monarchy that needs to reach out to a younger generation. They are certainly missing her sparkle.”

Sarah added that had “things had been handled differently” by Prince Harry and Prince William, Harry and Meghan could have stepped up into Kate’s shoes.

“I think they could have been invaluable,” Sarah said. “They could have helped to relieve some of the burden and sprinkled the stardust where it’s needed.’

[From The Sun]

Kate is the jewel in the crown, the most valuable royal, the most important asset to the monarchy, and also William is doing fine without Kate around and he barely visiting her. Who is actually making the calls at Kensington Palace? I’m flabbergasted by the weeks of extremely strange messaging from William’s office. Also: all of this is going down before William hired a CEO to take over Kensington Palace. I keep going back and forth about whether this is just another instance where “royals can’t manage their way out of a wet paper bag” or something else entirely.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.