Kate Middleton hospitalised following surgery with King Charles to attend hospital for prostate treatment- live

Kate, 42, was admitted to The London Clinic on Tuesday for the planned procedure.

The future Queen is expected to remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days before returning home to continue her recovery.

The princess is likely to spend between two and three months recuperating and is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter based on current medical advice, the Palace said.

It is understood Charles, 75, was keen to share his diagnosis, in order to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked in line with health advice.

One in every three men over the age of 50 will have symptoms of an enlarged prostate including needing to visit the toilet more frequently, with more urgency and have difficulty emptying their bladder.

According to the NHS, benign prostate enlargement (BPE) is “the medical term to describe an enlarged prostate, a condition that can affect how you pee”. The prostate is a small gland in the pelvis, found between the penis and the bladder.

It’s not cancerous, nor does it increase your risk of developing prostate cancer.

It’s common in men over the age of 50 – it can affect younger men, but that is a lot rarer.

Photographers, journalists and broadcasters have descended on the private hospital in central London where the Princess of Wales is recovering from abdominal surgery.

Media are awaiting news behind barriers placed on the opposite side of the road to the London Clinic where Kate is staying.

The princess is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter based on current medical advice, Kensington Palace said.

Kate is close to her family, and her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and sibling Pippa Matthews and James Middleton are set to rally round and support her recovery at the Waleses’ home, Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

William was understood to be looking after Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on Wednesday evening.

The King, who was up in Scotland when he received his diagnosis, is said to have supported William and Kate, with a source adding: “They’re a close family so they’re in close touch”.

Buckingham Palace announced just an hour and a half after Kensington Palace’s shock news that Charles, 75, will be treated in hospital next week.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “In common with thousands of men each year, The King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate.

“His Majesty’s condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure. The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation.”

The prospect of the King being treated in hospital and the Prince of Wales halting his official duties to care for his wife raises questions over which Counsellors of State might be needed to step in.

In the event a monarch cannot undertake their duties as sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness, two or more Counsellors of State are appointed by Letters Patent to act in their place.

But the prince will be at the Princess of Wales’s bedside for the next few weeks, juggling this with caring for his children as Kate recovers from abdominal surgery.

Buckingham Palace has said, however, that it did not anticipate Counsellors of State being necessary when the King is treated in hospital for an enlarged, benign prostate next week.

Kate, 42, was admitted to hospital on Tuesday and will remain at the London Clinic for the next 10-14 days.

Her condition has not been disclosed but the surgery has been a success, according to Kensington Palace.