Kate, Princess of Wales is in hospital after undergoing planned abdominal surgery.
The news was announced by Kensington Palace, which revealed she’d remain in hospital for between 10 to 14 days.
In a statement it said: “Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery.”
But what is abdominal surgery?
Abdominal surgeries usually include the repair or removal of abdominal tissues and organs.
Common abdominal procedures include those to remove the appendix, gall bladder removal, and hernia repair, according to The University of Tennessee Medical Centre.
In some cases, abdominal operations are carried out to remove malignant tumours and lesions, as well as benign growths, such as lipomas. Lipomas are lumps that form due to an overgrowth of fat cells.
The reason for The Princess of Wales’ surgery has not be announced.
The Palace added: “[The Princess of Wales] hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
Healthcare company MedStar Health also detail possible abdominal surgeries performed by colon and rectal surgeons.
Repair of rectal prolapse
To treat rectal prolapse surgery is usually required. This involves pulling the rectum back to its normal place and affixing it to that position.
Small bowel resection
This is surgery to remove Crohn’s disease, cancer, ulcer, benign tumours and polyps.
It involves removal of a portion of the small intestine – a surgeon will remove the diseased parts of the small intestine and sew healthy parts back together.
In some cases, an opening to the outside of the body will be created. This is known as an ostomy.
Total colectomy and total proctocolectomy
Familial polyposis or ulcerative colitis often require removal of the colon and rectum.
It’s believed the future Queen’s procedure is not linked to cancer.
Royal expert Rebecca English wrote on X that her understanding was that it is non-cancerous.