It’s really funny to watch as the British media grapples with the monster they helped create. It all began last week, when King Charles announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and Prince Harry flew fourteen hours just to check on his father in person. People started asking questions like “where is Prince William” and “what’s really going on with William’s wife” and “why isn’t William stepping in for his father” and “why did William show up to a mid-day event under the influence?” Over the weekend, Kensington Palace’s clowns tried a new talking point: poor William needed time to absorb the news about his father, and he’s working his fingers down to the nub by taking his kids to school every day, and he’s grappling with the fact that he’s the heir! At no point would it even occur to KP or William that there’s a desperate need for William to actually come out and be seen, and to be seen as a 40-something heir fully prepared for the role. Instead, the overwhelming message is: Poor William is paralyzed with laziness, he needs our pity. Anyway, People Magazine tried to put a bow on it with their reporting:

Duty is calling for Prince William. As he continues to focus on his family and care for his wife Kate Middleton, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, he is also prioritizing his duty to the monarchy and his father, King Charles, who is was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Those very different demands have come into focus as the Prince of Wales, 41, takes a week off from royal engagements to look after Princess Kate, 42, and their three children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 during the children’s school break. As he does, there are ongoing discussions about what, if anything, he should do in terms of stepping in for his father, whose treatment for an as-yet-unnamed cancer continues.

A friend told PEOPLE of Prince William’s return to public life, “He is coping remarkably well considering his wife had surgery and he only found out his father’s news recently.”

While the separate staff at Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace respectively are in “constant dialogue,” there hasn’t been anything specific that William has been asked to do on behalf of his father. Last week, a source who knows King Charles told PEOPLE that he wouldn’t burden his son unnecessarily.

“He wouldn’t want to put that pressure on William,” a source close to the royal household told PEOPLE. “He has always wanted to save his children from having that pressure too early and that will remain. Particularly as William has other priorities [with Kate].”

After his children’s school break, Prince William is expected to resume a fuller diary of activities as well as take up the reigns of the school drop-offs and pick-ups.

Prince William will be seen “more than we have done in the last few weeks,” a source adds, as he tackles outings covering the range of his interests. That would be a sure, and positive, sign that Princess Kate is doing well enough to enable him to do so.

He is likely to be at the Commonwealth Day service on March 11 while Queen Camilla, 76, will represent her husband. There is also a chance he will be at the biggest night for British film, the BAFTA ceremony, on Sunday, though his appearance will depend on the situation at home.

[From People]

One week ago, just before William stepped out at an investiture service looking visibly under the influence, Kensington Palace sources told Rebecca English at the Mail: “The Prince has always made clear that his priority is to support his wife and family for the time being – and he did not put a timescale on that. He will make a return to duties on Wednesday but you should not expect to see him again for a bit after that.” Sources have also insisted that palace staff are iffy about William doing anything for Commonwealth Day in March. There’s a very good chance that after William’s “holiday” this week, we still won’t see him for weeks longer. So who is briefing People Mag that William will be back to work next week? I mean, we’ll see, but it’s still pretty notable that the only thing that got William out of lazy-paralysis was his brother visiting their father.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.