King Charles Visited Kate Middleton During Hospital Stays: ‘Lot of Toddling Down the Corridor’

King Charles III spent some sweet moments visiting his daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton during their overlapping stays in the hospital amid their recent health battles.

“The King has always had a close, warm and unique relationship with the princess. She has a great love and respect for him and his position,” an insider told The Sunday Times on March 23. “When they were in hospital together there was a lot of toddling down the corridor to spend time with her. He has been encouraging and supporting her throughout.”

On January 17, Buckingham Palace revealed that Charles, 75, was scheduled to undergo treatment for a benign prostate issue. ​That same day, royal reps announced that Kate underwent a planned abdominal surgery ​one day prior, which led to both members of the royal family being in the hospital at the same time.

On February 5, Charles announced he had been diagnosed with cancer. Six weeks later, on March 22, Kate, 42, revealed she was also battling cancer. Neither revealed the specific type, but both seemed in good spirits and optimistic about recovery.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was noncancerous,” Kate said in a heartfelt video to the public. “The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”

The Princess of Wales continued, “[Prince] William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.”

Speculation about Kate’s whereabouts since her abdominal surgery ​had reached a fever pitch before the princess chose to reveal her diagnosis. Theories from botched plastic surgery to a medically-induced coma flooded the internet.

However, Kate explained that she and William, 41, had chosen not to make an announcement regarding the medical news until they had a chance to explain it to their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. ​

“They wanted to wait to tell the world the news until their children were off school for the Easter break so they could have time to process the news before the whole world was talking about [it],” a source told Us Weekly on March 22.

Meanwhile, Charles publicly reacted to Kate’s cancer news with a touching statement on March 22 that said he was “so proud of Catherine (the Princess of Wales) for her courage in speaking as she did.” He added that since the two spent time together in the hospital, he “remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks”