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Prince William Receives Gifts for Kate Middleton amid Cancer Treatment, Including One Their Kids Will Love (Exclusive)

Prince William Receives Gifts for Kate Middleton amid Cancer Treatment, Including One Their Kids Will Love (Exclusive)

A high school in England sent the Prince of Wales off with some well wishes for his wife, including something “to sow seeds of positivity”

Prince William is returning home from his latest royal engagement with thoughtful gifts for Kate Middleton amid her cancer treatment.

On April 25, the Prince of Wales, 41, left St. Michael’s Church of England High School laden with presents for his wife, who announced on March 22 that she is undergoing chemotherapy.

Kerry Whitehouse, the school’s senior mental health lead, tells PEOPLE the gifts included Lego sunflowers because “building things is therapeutic and sunflowers represent happiness positivity and strength” and sunflower seeds “to sow seeds of positivity.”

“We didn’t want to give flowers but something significant to represent the theme of the day,” says Whitehouse, referring to the mental health-focused outing.

“He thanked us and said the Lego would go down well in the house,” she adds, with the royal likely referring to the couple’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

According to the school official, they also gave Princess Kate, 42, a crocheted starfish, “which comes with the story about making a difference to others,” and a little something for Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 6.

 Prince William, Prince of Wales departs from St. Michael's Church of England School on April 25, 2024 in Birmingham, England

Prince William received crocheted “well-being worms” for the children and positivity cards written to them involving emotion wheels.

In a full-circle moment, Princess Kate previously said during an event for her Shaping Us campaign in November 2023 that Prince Louis and his classmates used a “feelings wheel” at school to help them describe their emotions.

As for the rest of the presents, Whitehouse adds that there was also a “positivitea” bag with tea and a message to spend time with friends, plus the school’s new turtle mascot which “focuses on swimming against the tide and the pressure that males sometimes feel to act a certain way.”

Prince William, Prince of Wales is greeted by school children upon his visit to St. Michael's Church of England School on April 25, 2024 in Birmingham

Prince William’s school visit centered around the students’ well-being (which sparked from a 12-year-old pupil named Freddie writing a letter to the Prince and Princess of Wales inviting them to see their work) comes after he stayed out of the public eye for several weeks after Princess Kate’s health announcement on March 22 to spend time with his family while their three children were on a school break. Kate may have strategically waited to publicly announce her health news until her kids were out of the classroom to create space for their family to have private time together.

Upon his return to royal duties last week at a food distribution charity, Prince William received cards for Princess Kate and King Charles, who is also undergoing cancer treatment.

“Oh, some cards, you’re very kind. Thank you very much,” Prince William told volunteer Rachel Candappa in a video shared to X by Lizzie Robinson of ITV.

Prince William, Prince of Wales is given cards for his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales by volunteer Rachel Candappa as Claire Hopkins, Operations Director looks on (L) during a visit to Surplus to Supper, in Sunbury-on-Thames on April 18, 2024

When Candappa, 71, told the royal to look after his wife, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “I will,” The Telegraph reported.

According to Chris Ship of ITV, the volunteer “told us she spent ages last night thinking of what to write in her message inside.”

The Prince of Wales also took time off following his wife’s Jan. 16 abdominal surgery to help in her recovery and keep the children’s schedules as normal as possible. The heir to the British throne returned to public outings in the days following the news of his father King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.

Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales (L) and Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales return back to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey in central London on May 6, 2023, after the coronations of Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla.

At London’s Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner on Feb. 7, Prince William said in a speech, “I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all.”

“It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus. So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!” he quipped.

Regarding his return to royal duties following Princess Kate’s cancer news, a Kensington Palace spokesperson previously said, “The Prince will continue to balance supporting his wife and family and maintaining his official duties as he has done since the start of the year.”

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales attend a SportsAid mental fitness workshop at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre to mark World Mental Health Day on October 12, 2023 in Marlow, England.

Meanwhile, Princess Kate “will return to official duties when she is cleared to do so by her medical team. She is in good spirits and is focused on making a full recovery,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said at the time of the cancer revelation. A palace source later told PEOPLE that the Princess of Wales might join family events when she feels able, though it may not signal a full return to work.

“She has the inner strength, the support of her husband and her extraordinary family, so she can focus on what’s important, which is her getting back to strength,” Ailsa Anderson, a former spokeswoman for Queen Elizabeth, told PEOPLE exclusively last month.

 

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