Whenever a family member, royal or not, is hit by a health scare, there is a treasure trove of stress. Stress for the patient, stress for the caregiver, stress for everyone involved.

Prince William is currently feeling that stress as his wife, Princess Kate, is in the hospital following abdominal surgery on January 16. Princess Kate will be in the London Clinic for up to two weeks, after which she will recuperate at home in Adelaide Cottage until April.

As his wife is recovering from surgery, William has put most of his royal duties on hold, putting the couple's children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and of course Kate herself, first. His diaries have been reorganized and his planned trips to Italy and Latvia postponed. William makes it clear where his loyalties lie. (No mention, of course, that his father, King Charles, is scheduled to be hospitalized this week for "corrective surgery" for an enlarged prostate. Despite being royalty, William has a lot on his plate right now.

Although his work is mostly on hold, William is still visiting Kate at the London Clinic and juggling school-age children and (temporary) solo-dad duties with his three children. As Kensington Palace said in a statement released last week, the surgery was planned but still at least partially unexpected (hence the need to reschedule the diary).

"Prince William is juggling being at the bedside of his wife, the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from surgery, and caring for their three children," the Mirror reported.

Jenny Bond, a royal expert and former BBC royal correspondent, said the coming period will be particularly trying for Prince William. She said, "You can have all the privileges in life, but your health is the most important thing, and it's the one thing you can't control."

As for George, Charlotte, and Louis, "William will always be there for the children," Bond said. 'So William will be taking them to and from school, helping them with their homework, cooking for them, and doing their bedtime routines. It's important to maintain a routine. But they should be a little confused. William, sadly, is perfectly willing to help. He knows how it feels to worry about mom, and in his case, how it feels to have lost her. So he takes great care to reassure them and will talk as much or as little as they decide they need to hear"

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It is unclear to date whether the three children have visited Kate in the hospital. 'When the appropriate time comes, William will take the children to see Kate. Bond said, "because the children need that kind of face-to-face reassurance."

Kate is said to be "on the mend" as of last week, and William is spending ample time at her bedside. In response to Kate's health concerns, the two have adopted a new motto of "100% family first, day job second," which they will continue to follow.

"This is a trying time for them," Bond said. The Welsh family has been through a lot of trauma lately--death, friction, suspicion, coronation--and through it all, they have kept smiling and their popularity has soared. It is truly shocking that they have suffered such an unexpected blow, but their goodwill toward Kate and the entire family is something they will be grateful for."

Kate will not be seen until at least April, but will likely work behind the scenes from home, a source told The Sunday Times.

"Her passion for early childhood is obvious," they said. "That campaign will be very much ongoing, and she will want to continue the conversation with the public as soon as possible."

While juggling the temporary new reality, William doesn't have to do it alone. In addition to Maria Teresa Borraro, the family's nanny, Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, are on hand to help manage it all.