Prince William shares Kate Middleton cancer update as he talks about family during visit to the Isles of Scilly

The Princess of Wales is ‘doing well’ after her cancer diagnosis, Prince William has revealed.  

The royal discussed his wife’s health during a visit to St Mary’s Community Hospital on the Isles of Scilly.  

William is continuing with his royal duties while Kate receives treatment for abdominal cancer, following her ‘shock’ announcement in March that she had been diagnosed and was receiving chemotherapy.  

The Prince couldn’t resist snapping up the region’s most famous savoury treat as his tour continues today – and suggested he is taking some of the edible souvenirs home for his family.  

William, 41, who is known locally as the Duke of Cornwall, arrived at St Mary’s Harbour having travelled from Tresco, one of the smaller islands this morning. 

Meanwhile, in Nigeria, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began the first day of their three-day visit to the African nation. 

The royal, 41, stumped up £27.50 for five of the pasties, one for each family member as he chatted to cafe workers Joely Dearman, 22, and Zachariah Fox, 28

William said George, Charlotte and Louis are ‘very jealous’ of his trip away, adding that he might bring them to Cornwall later in the year, according to The Sun. 

Sharing that he’d already enjoyed a morning swim, the Prince was seen disembarking a boat called The Pegasus, which bore the Duke of Cornwall flag, as he arrived at St Mary’s maritime harbour. 

A small cheer went up from a throng of onlookers on the harbour as he stepped quayside for the final day of his visit to the South West region. 

Wearing a pair of stylish sunglasses to protect his eyes from the Cornish sun, the Prince donned a brown blazer with matching brogues and his favourite navy chino trousers as he made his way along the water’s edge. 

He hailed the ‘glorious’ weather before strolling to the On the Quay cafe, where he bought five traditional Cornish pasties for £5.50 each.

He was served by Joely Dearman, 22, and Zachariah Fox, 28, both seasonal workers from North Devon on the mainland.

The Prince of Wales looked in good spirits as he chatted to local business people during a visit to St. Mary’s Harbour, the maritime gateway to the Isles of Scilly

‘Are you waiting for a boat?’ The Prince joked that he was never sure when he saw crowds if they were actually there for him

The Prince pictured arriving on St Mary’s; the royal will return to Windsor later today to spend the weekend with the Princess of Wales, who’s undergoing cancer treatment, and their children

Local primary school children were among those lining the quay in anticipation of William’s arrival on the largest of the Scilly Isles this morning

Prince Williams leans in for a chat with the shy-looking youngsters during his visit

‘What’s selling quickest this morning?’ he asked them. 

Told it was the pasties, the Prince was clearly hooked on the idea of buying some, saying: ‘They smell delicious. Makes your mouth water.’ 

He went on to tell them: ‘I was saying to the others, I can’t believe the islands today when you’ve got weather like this, it’s just beautiful. I got in the sea yesterday which was good – I wore a wetsuit.’

Outside, he also told tourists who had lined up to greet him that he wished he could stay for a little longer but he would return home that afternoon to spend the weekend in Windsor. 

‘My family are very upset I’m here without them,’ he laughed. ‘The children will kill me if I don’t go home later.’

The Prince later visited St. Mary’s Community Hospital to meet staff and hear about a new integrated health and social care facility which is set to be built on adjacent land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall

The Prince ‘broke ground’ to mark the first step towards the new facility, which will offers integrated health services to the local community

Never shy of a physical challenge, the Prince got digging to mark the spot where building will begin

The 41-year-old royal’s digging was given a round of applause, with work on the island’s new facility due to start shortly

The heir-to-the-throne is shown around St Mary’s Community Hospital on the island

William is seen shaking hands with healthcare professionals at the hospital

Kind words: The royal also spend time with patients at the Scilly Isles hospital

He also asked the well-wishers if they were waiting to catch a boat.  

‘We’re waiting for you,’ one woman said. ‘I’m never sure,’ William responded.

The Prince also met representatives from local businesses on the harbour front on St Mary’s, the largest of the Scilly islands.

The harbour is run by the Duchy of Cornwall and is considered the maritime gateway to the islands – a crucial part of the community, which relies on the tourism industry.

It handles passengers and vessels travelling to the Isles of Scilly from ‘Tripper Boats’ and sail training vessels to fishing boats and those carrying special cargo deliveries.

Wearing a pair of sunglasses, the Prince donned a brown blazer with matching brogues and his favourite navy chino trousers for the visit 

Smile! An onlooker takes a photo of the royal as he makes his way into the quayside area of St Mary’s

The Duke of Cornwall also shared that he’d enjoyed a morning dip before making the boat trip from neighbouring isle Tresco 

The Scilly Isles waters glinted in the sunshine as William chatted with a medal-winning boat crew

The Prince later visited St. Mary’s Community Hospital to meet staff and hear about a new integrated health and social care facility which is set to be built on adjacent land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Prince was driven the short distance from the harbour to St. Mary’s Community Hospital, where he met staff and was updated on plans which will see a new health and social care facility built on Duchy of Cornwall land.

He told several members of staff that he was keen to learn more about what was needed on the islands and how the Duchy could help. ‘Keep flagging anything else that we can do,’ he told them.

‘I’m hoping to do more down here where you guys want it.’

He later told another group: ‘We have got to work to do better. I don’t have all the answers but I’m just trying to learn my way around and work out what needs doing.’

On arrival, the Prince was met by Tracy Smith, who is in charge of hospital administration. She said later: ‘I asked how Princess Kate was and how the children were and said I hoped they would enjoy some time here over the summer.

‘He said he would very much like that to be able to happen.’

The Prince and Princess of Wales occasionally bring their three children over to Tresco in the holidays, following a tradition William enjoyed during his own childhood.

‘The children are very jealous that I’m here,’ he told Ms Smith. ‘Are we going to have a look around?’

Inside, the Prince was shown the x-ray facilities and the kitchen, where, he was told, homemade meals were prepared for the patients.

As he was shown into one patient’s room, he exclaimed: ‘That’s a pretty cool view!’

The two then pulled up chairs in the window and had a private chat.

The Prince later met various groups of staff, from GPs and nurses to trainees and office workers.

Prince William met staff including Lynda McHale, 68, who has worked for the NHS for 50 years

The Prince asked the staff about their shift patterns and whether they lived on the island or the mainland

The Prince of Wales, who is also the Duke of Cornwall, visits St Mary’s Community Hospital on Friday

Among them was Lynda McHale, 68, who he was told had worked for the NHS for 50 years.

‘I’m very lucky, I love my job, I’ve seen many things,’ she told him.

Mrs McHale gave the Prince a letter from her granddaughter, who is an ‘avid fan’ of both William and Prince George.

‘She wanted to wish his father and wife good health,’ she said after the visit. ‘He said he would read it later.’

The Prince asked the staff about their shift patterns and whether they lived on the island or the mainland.

He was told there were three GPs based at the centre but that it could be ‘quite challenging’ serving the smaller islands, where they hold weekly or fortnightly clinics, particularly if the weather was bad or the tide was low.

‘It’s amazing how many roles everyone has to double hand or triple hand,’ he said. ‘You are all very good jack of all trades.

‘For staff, it’s so important to keep them motivated, keep up morale, and it’s really important we have got the ability to look after them.’

The prince remarked how dry the ground was before he symbolically took the first step towards the new build

The Prince, who’s travelling home this evening, has been enjoying a mini tour of the South West

Prince William was seen talking to some schoolchildren while visiting the Islands

He was able to enjoy clear blue skies as he chatted to locals on a visit to St Mary’s harbour

He told the staff that he hoped the extension would make a real difference to the lives of the local residents, recalling a story about how a baby had been born mid-air en route to the mainland. ‘No one would have wanted that to happen,’ he laughed.

Part of the building will be a new maternity unit, allowing local mothers-to-be to be cared for on the island.

‘People say it’s very difficult to have a child on the islands,’ he said. ‘The costs are huge. Hopefully we will be able to do it here.’

He returned to the subject again a few minutes later, describing the costs as ‘astronomical.’

The Prince congratulated one member of staff who is due to give birth on June 15. ‘Ooh nice, a summer baby,’ he said. ‘I’m June 21, it might slip in first.’

William was then shown the plans for the hospital extension before being given a spade to dig the first patch of earth for the foundations.

‘Does it matter where I start?’ he asked, before exclaiming: ‘Have you seen how dry that is?

‘I might get an inch out of there if we’re lucky!’ However, he persevered, digging a small amount of dry mud up before being given a loud round of applause. The Prince told staff that he would be back next year, when the extension should be all but complete.

The £20m project is being funded by the NHS.

Meanwhile, on another continent, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began their 72-hour tour of Nigeria today, as the Duke evoked memories of his suffering after his mother Princess Diana’s death.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met officials and children at the Wuse Lightway Academy this morning, hours after their arrival in Abuja in the early hours.

Harry spoke to a group of pupils at the school, which is supported by the couple’s Archewell Foundation, about mental health and referenced when someone has ‘lost a loved one in your family and you don’t know who to turn to or who to speak to’.

The Duke – who was 12 and his brother William 15 when Diana died in Paris in 1997 – added that there was ‘no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day’,

He also told the children: ‘You can have it, she (Meghan) can have it, I can have it. They can have it. Every single one of us is likely to have it on any given day.’

The couple flew in together just before 5am following a secret reunion at London Heathrow’s VIP Windsor Suite yesterday after the Duchess arrived from Los Angeles.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle take part in games at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja as part of their three-day visit to the African nation

Harry and Meghan clap as they meet children at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja today 

Harry and Meghan smile as they meet children at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja today 

Meghan takes a selfie with students as Harry watches at the Wuse Lightway Academy today

They both boarded the British Airways overnight flight to Abuja, which was slightly delayed after the scheduled pilot went sick and a replacement had to be scrambled.

The Sussexes, visiting Nigeria together for the first time, were seated in the first class section of the Boeing 777 and were kept apart from other passengers by a curtain.

It comes after Harry said it was ‘great’ to be back in the UK this week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The Duke had been in London since Tuesday to attend events relating to the competition including a thanksgiving service.