Kate, Princess of Wales, back home after surgery

LONDON — Kate, the Princess of Wales, has returned home from hospital after a two-week stay following abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace said on Monday.

Kate, 42, the wife of heir to the British throne Prince William was making "good progress," the Kensington Palace statement said, after surgery for a non-specified, but non-cancerous, condition at the London Clinic.

Her father-in-law King Charles has also undergone treatment in the same hospital, having spent three nights there following planned treatment on Friday to address an enlarged prostate, with regular visits from his wife, Queen Camilla.

Kensington Palace said Kate was now back at home on the Windsor estate, west of London.

"She is making good progress," her office said. "The prince and princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at the London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided."

Kate is not due to return to public duties until after Easter. Her husband Prince William, the heir-to-the-throne, has postponed his engagements to look after their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

Few details of her illness or surgery have been given as Britain's royals usually regard all medical issues as a private matter.

Charles, however, chose to publicize his condition to encourage other men to have medical checks.

He visited Kate in hospital before having a "corrective procedure" to treat a benign enlarged prostrate, a condition common among men over 50.

Charles's public engagements have also been postponed to allow a short period of recuperation. — Reuters