Prince Harry, Meghan Markel visit Wales in whirlwind tour

LONDON (AP) — Prince William returns to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife’s cancer diagnosis, bolstering the royal family’s ranks as health problems continue to sideline the princess and King Charles III.

William is set to visit a surplus food redistribution center and a youth club it serves, highlighting efforts to reduce food waste as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and feed people in need. The prince stepped away from public duties after Kate, the Princess of Wales, announced on March 22 that she was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer.

In a video message released that day, Kate asked for “time, space and privacy” as she and her family adjusted to her diagnosis.

“I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she said at the time.

“It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay,” she added.

Both Charles and Kate have been largely absent from the public stage since January due to health problems, leaving Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and other members of the royal family to pick up the slack on the whirl of events and awards ceremonies that dominate the work of Britain’s monarchy.

Charles announced on Feb. 5 that he had been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer following treatment for an enlarged prostate two weeks earlier. Kate’s diagnosis came after she was hospitalized in late January for unspecified abdominal surgery.

William is set to visit a surplus food distribution charity — Surplus to Supper — in Surrey, southwest of London, where he will lend a hand in the kitchen and help load prepared meals into delivery vans. He will then travel to a youth center in west London that benefits from the food deliveries.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markel visit Wales in whirlwind tour

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Prince Harry, Meghan Markel visit Wales in whirlwind tour

Prince Harry has introduced his American fiancee to a new part of Britain ahead of their planned nuptials in May.

On Thursday, the 33-year-old prince took Meghan Markle to Wales, where they delighted crowds outside Cardiff Castle despite arriving an hour late because of train problems as high winds buffeted Britain.

Meghan Markle meets fans as she arrives with Britain's Prince Harry for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Arthur Edwards/Pool Photo via AP)

The prince and his soon-to-be-royal bride greeted fans and shook hands with dozens who had waited in the cold for a chance to greet them.

Meghan Markle meets fans as she arrives with Britain's Prince Harry for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Arthur Edwards/Pool Photo via AP)

Markle wore a black coat by British designer Stella McCartney and stylish jeans from a Welsh designer, Hiut Denim. Harry wore a blue sweater.

Meghan Markle meets fans as she arrives with Britain's Prince Harry for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan.18, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Harry and Markle have already made pre-wedding trips to Nottingham and to the Brixton neighborhood in south London. They will marry on May 19 at Windsor Castle.

Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle meet a fan with a dog decorated with US flags as they arrive for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan.18, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Prince Harry has introduced his American fiancee to a new part of Britain ahead of their planned nuptials in May.

On Thursday, the 33-year-old prince took Meghan Markle to Wales, where they delighted crowds outside Cardiff Castle despite arriving an hour late because of train problems as high winds buffeted Britain.

Meghan Markle meets fans as she arrives with Britain's Prince Harry for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Arthur Edwards/Pool Photo via AP)

The prince and his soon-to-be-royal bride greeted fans and shook hands with dozens who had waited in the cold for a chance to greet them.

Meghan Markle meets fans as she arrives with Britain's Prince Harry for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. (Arthur Edwards/Pool Photo via AP)

Markle wore a black coat by British designer Stella McCartney and stylish jeans from a Welsh designer, Hiut Denim. Harry wore a blue sweater.

Meghan Markle meets fans as she arrives with Britain's Prince Harry for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan.18, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Harry and Markle have already made pre-wedding trips to Nottingham and to the Brixton neighborhood in south London. They will marry on May 19 at Windsor Castle.

Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle meet a fan with a dog decorated with US flags as they arrive for a visit to Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, Jan.18, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

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UK's Prince William returns to public duties for first time since Kate's cancer diagnosis