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Prince William returned to his royal duties as he led an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on February 7, 2024, making this his first appearance since King Charles's cancer diagnosis. According to The Daily Mail, the Prince of Wales, decked in his RAF uniform, handed out more than 50 honors on behalf of the King.
What set the internet abuzz was not his appearance at the ceremony but rather his demeanor. Netizens speculated on whether the Prince was drunk as footage from the event showed him standing unsteadily, swaying back and forth as the orchestra played in the background.
The past month has been filled with health scares for the royal family. Kate Middleton, who underwent a planned abdominal surgery on January 17, is still recuperating in Windsor after two weeks of hospitalization.
Soon after that, the King was admitted to The London Clinic for a benign prostate corrective procedure, during which he was diagnosed with "a form of cancer." The news of his diagnosis was revealed to the public on February 5.
Netizens react to Prince William's appearance at his first royal duty since his father's cancer diagnosis
With the King being advised to take a break from his public duties following his diagnosis, the brunt of his commitments fell onto his son's shoulders as heir to the throne. Prince William was spotted for the first time at the investiture ceremony since the royal family's health updates.
Decked in his RAF uniform, the Prince handed out the honors. But what caught the internet's attention was his seemingly odd behavior at the start of the ceremony, where he continued to sway back and forth, which led netizens to speculate if the Prince was drunk.
According to MailOnline, among those honored at the investiture ceremony were Ellen White, a former England women's footballer and the Lionesses' record goalscorer, who gave Prince William her "best wishes" for the King and the Princess of Wales.
Prince William joined Tom Cruise at the Air Ambulance Charity
Following the investiture ceremony, Prince William attended London's Air Ambulance Charity held in a Windsor hotel, where he broke his silence about his father's health condition. According to the Mirror, he thanked the public for their support and expressed his well-wishes to his father and wife, Kate Middleton.
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."
In March 2020, the Prince became a charity patron after being an air ambulance pilot for the East Anglia Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017.
The charity event saw Prince William talking to Tom Cruise, who has maintained a friendly relationship with the royal family for many years. The two were seen posing for a photo, with the Prince even jesting about the actor "borrowing" one of the choppers for his next Mission Impossible movie.
According to BBC, Prince William had taken a hiatus from royal duties to care for his wife and their three children after the Princess' surgery. He has since resumed his public role. However, his wife is not expected to make a comeback till April.
