Prince William advised to be wary of 'scaring' children over Kate's surgery

Prince William was advised to not give his children false hope over the return of his wife Kate Middleton after the royal was hospitalised for up to two weeks following an abdominal surgery.

According to child psychologist Dr Catherine Wikholm, the Duke of Cambridge could leave his three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis 'unsettled' by the idea that their mother might not be coming home. 

Read More: Princess Kate 'tried to hide pain behind smile' in last outing before surgery

"Young children have the potential to be unsettled when a parent goes into hospital, especially if that parent is the primary caregiver," she said as per Express. 

"They are likely to be most scared about the idea of a parent not coming home, something going wrong during an operation, or even their parent dying. They may also worry something may happen to their other parent too."

She went to add that the children would likely quiz Prince William about their mother's condition and advised him to remain calm and honest. 

"They are likely to ask questions about why their mummy is in hospital, what is wrong with them, what will be happening to them, and most importantly, when will they be back home?

Read More: Princess Kate 'eager' to return to royal duties amid recovery from health scare

"The parent should respond to questions calmly and honestly in an age-appropriate way – keeping details to a minimum, especially if some of the details are uncertain," said Dr Wikholm.