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Princess Kate back home from hospital after abdominal surgery and recovering well, Kensington Palace says
London — Catherine, the Princess of Wales, or Kate as she’s known to most of the world, was back at her home in Windsor, England on Monday and “making good progress” in her recovery from abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace said in a statement. The nature of the future queen’s medical procedure has not been revealed, but the palace announced on Jan. 17 that she was having surgery and that she would likely remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.
The statement issued by Kensington Palace, the official residence of Kate and her husband William, the Prince of Wales, said the couple wished to thank the staff of the private London clinic where the procedure was carried out, as well as well-wishers from around the world.
At their most recent public outing, attending the annual Christmas Day church service in Sandringham, England, Britain’s King Charles III and his daughter-in-law Kate were the picture of health. So, the twin announcements more than a week ago that the future queen was already recovering from abdominal surgery and the monarch was set to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate came as a bit of a shock.
King Charles was admitted on Friday for his procedure and remained in the hospital Monday, having been visited several times over the weekend by Queen Camilla.
“More human than what they used to project”
The palace initially announced that Kate was recovering from what it called a planned abdominal surgery. It said Kate would spend up to two weeks at the private London clinic where she had the procedure, and then up to several months recuperating at home in Windsor, making it unlikely she will return to public duties until after Easter at the end of March.
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The palace stressed that her surgery was not cancer related, but it has provided no further detail, noting that Kate is keen to maintain her privacy.
The royal family has a history of closely guarding, or at least attempting to closely guard its most personal information, and some Brits welcomed them acknowledging their health issues at all.
“I think it certainly shows that they’re more human than what they used to project to the public,” one Londoner told CBS News.
But given 42-year-old Kate’s relatively young age and general good health, the limited detail provided by the royals about such a senior family member’s hospitalization may have surprised or concerned some people. One veteran royal watcher and biographer told CBS News it was par for the course, however.
“Protecting those three children”
The palaces’ statements reflected the fact that the princess “has always put herself as a mother first, and she doesn’t want her children to be exposed to any kind of speculation or intrusion,” CBS News royal contributor Amanda Foreman said, adding that it was worded “100% with a mind to protecting those three children.”
Prince William, next in line to inherit the British throne, has also temporarily stepped back from his royal duties to be at the princess’ side and to help care for their children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, Kensington palace said.
“The tradition has always been to err on the side of caution, and in particular, with the royal family, as we know there were instances in the young princes’ growing up where they were incredibly scarred by media speculation about their mother” the late Princess Diana, Foreman told CBS News. “So, that mindfulness is why they have gone in this direction.”
“An incredibly busy time for the princess”
Kate frequently polls as one of the most popular members of the royal family. Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and in the wake of her brother and sister-in-law Harry and Meghan’s sensational exit from royal life, she has increasingly undertaken public engagements on her own.
Foreman said Kate was being side-lined from those royal duties at “an incredibly busy time for the Princess of Wales,” noting the looming landmark dates on the Christian calendar around Easter.
“There’s a lot that goes on around now, and the royal family plays a big role in that, and as an ambassador for mental health and for children, the big thing is that she has a very physical role — she’s always standing up, sitting down, kneeling, picking up, and that’s where she has to be particularly careful,” Foreman said.
The length of Kate’s expected recovery time “is very significant,” noted Foreman, “but don’t forget there are procedures that can require very long recovery times — for example, a hysterectomy can take weeks to recover — and it doesn’t mean it’s a life-threatening situation by any means.”
“There are lots of procedures people don’t want to have discussed. It is personal to them,” noted the author. “So, this makes a lot of sense within the framework of what we’re hearing.”
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.