Prince William Returns to Public Duties as Wife Kate Middleton Continues Recovery from Surgery

Prince William is heading back to work after taking time out to help care for his wife, Kate Middleton.

The Princess of Wales, 42, left the hospital last Monday after almost two weeks of being cared for following her abdominal surgery.

During that time and since her discharge, Prince William, 41, has been helping look after their three children, Prince George, 10,  Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, at the family home, Adelaide Cottage, on the Windsor Castle estate.

And it is to Windsor that Prince William is to host his first public outing since the surgery when he undertakes a morning of investitures on behalf of his father, King Charles — who is also recuperating after his own operation for an enlarged prostate — on Wednesday.

The event will see Prince William reward members of the public and other prominent people with honors that are awarded at New Year or to mark the monarch's birthday.

Later on Wednesday, the Prince of Wales is also scheduled to honor one of his key interests by attending the annual fundraising gala for the London Air Ambulance. William, who was an air ambulance pilot for around two years in East Anglia, focuses much of his attention on highlighting the work of the airborne medical teams and the other emergency services and became patron of the organization four years ago.

While supporting the 30th anniversary of the organization in 2019, he also flew with the crew to launch the 30 Years Saving Lives campaign and met staff and patients from the service at a number of fundraising events.

The royal family has provided no recent update on the progress of Princess Kate as she recovers from her operation. Kensington Palace said she "is making good progress" when she left the hospital on Jan. 29.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

As well as having her husband on hand to help her, the family's longstanding nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo has also been looking after the children.

Princess Kate is part of a close-knit family too, and she has her parents, Mike and Carole Middleton, and siblings, Pippa and James, who all live around 40 minutes' drive away, to help out too. Her parents "will be there to lend support," a source told PEOPLE recently.

“Her parents are an enduring factor in the upbringing of their grandchildren,” added a palace insider. “And they will be a reassuring presence when she goes back to Windsor to recuperate.”

On Sunday, King Charles was seen in public for the first time since he left the hospital when he headed to church in Sandringham, Norfolk, with Queen Camilla, 76, and cheerily waved to onlookers.