British Royal Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is currently hospitalized in London after undergoing an unspecified "abdominal surgery" on Tuesday, according to the BBC.

It is unclear what, exactly, the "planned" procedure addressed -- it was stressed that the issue was not cancer-related -- but it is expected that the princess will remain hospitalized for up to two more weeks and then continue her recovery from home over the next few months.

In the meantime, Middleton's schedule has been cleared for the foreseeable future of all appearances and royal duties, and the report indicated that Prince William has likewise substantially scaled back his own schedule while his wife remains hospitalized.

Statement released to announce surgery and hospitalization

Kensington Palace issued a statement on Wednesday that said, "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery."

"The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days, before returning home to continue her recovery," the statement continued. "Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

The princess "appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She 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 remain private."

As such, the Palace will only provide additional updates on the health and recovery of the princess if "there is significant new information to share."

"The Princess of Wales wishes to apologize to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible," the statement added.

Unspecified ailment may be serious

The BBC reported that while the Royal Family declined to specify the reason for Princess Kate's abdominal surgery, it is presumably for something potentially quite serious, given the lengthy estimated hospitalization and recovery time compared to the fact that most minor issues can be addressed with outpatient surgery and swift home recovery.

Further, there are few clues available to help determine what the problem might be, especially because the princess had a full schedule throughout December and never showed any signs of illness that would require medical attention and surgery.

The outlet also noted that, at least for the duration of the princess' hospitalization and in the immediate wake of her eventual release, Prince William will not be performing any of his official duties or fulfilling prescheduled appearances.

Prince William supporting his hospitalized wife

People magazine reported Thursday that Prince William was spotted leaving The London Clinic, the largest private hospital in the U.K., shortly after noon after spending the morning visiting with the princess.

He will reportedly spend "as much time as possible" by her side in the hospital, though he is also expected to balance that with time spent at home with their three children -- Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The prince was further reported to have already postponed at least two previously scheduled international trips and has canceled or delayed several other domestic events that he was supposed to attend.