The Prince of Wales is currently taking on extra royal duties as his father, King Charles III, and his wife, Kate Middleton, recover.
Prince William says he is grateful for the warm messages he and his family have received in the wake of his father, King Charles III, being diagnosed with cancer.
Making his first public comment on the diagnosis since the news broke, the Prince of Wales, 41, appeared at a gala honoring the London Air Ambulance Charity -- an event also featuring Tom Cruise.
In his remarks, the prince thanked those in attendance and the public for their support amid his father's health issues and the recent hospitalization of his wife, Kate Middleton, who underwent a planned abdominal procedure in January.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all," Prince William told the audience.
"It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus. So I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all," William joked.
The Daily Mail's Rebecca English shared footage from the event of the speech, which shows William offering up his thanks for their kindness during the unprecedented time for their family.
In another video shared by English on X -- formerly known as Twitter -- the prince could be seen posing for pictures with the Top Gun and Mission Impossible star, 61, at the charity event, which has a close connection to Prince William's heart as a former air ambulance pilot.
Photos obtained by ET show Prince William entering the event, conversing with Cruise and chatting with orange-vested paramedics and air pilots inside the black-tie gala. The next-in-line to the throne opted for a sleek black tuxedo with a black bow tie, which Cruise also sported for the gala. In the background of one pic, Sister Sledge -- the music group behind the hit song "We Are Family" -- can be seen on the line waiting to speak with the royal family member.
Prince William is currently picking up extra work as his father recovers from his first cancer treatment and on Tuesday, he appeared at Windsor Castle, where he took part in an investiture ceremony.
"Honouring amazing people doing incredible things in our communities up and down the country," a post on his and Kate's official Instagram account read in reference to the special occasion. The Princess of Wales, like her father-in-law, is currently taking time off from her royal duties while she recovers."
At the end of January, ET reported that in the midst of his wife's recovery, William would be stepping back from his royal duties in order to help the Princess of Wales, 42, recuperate from her unspecified procedure. A source said that William's attention was on their three children -- Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 -- as their mother recovered.
Just days later, however, the news of his father's cancer diagnosis was made public via a statement from Buckingham Palace confirming that following King Charles' recent hospitalization, diagnostic tests identified a form of cancer. The exact type of cancer has not been shared by palace officials.
"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual," a statement released on Monday read.
"The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure," the statement continued. "He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."
Immediately after the news was released, ET learned that King Charles' younger son, Prince Harry, was traveling to the U.K. to visit with his father. On Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex arrived in England, visiting his father at Clarence House. Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, stayed in California with their children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2.
Royal Expert Katie Nicholl spoke with ET on Tuesday and shared that following the diagnosis, King Charles, 75, was looking to reunite with his younger son.
"His father personally telephoned him to inform him of his cancer diagnosis, [and] Harry jumped on the overnight flight from Los Angeles," Nicholl shared, adding that when he arrived in London, Harry "came straight to Clarence House for what we understand was a brief meeting with his father."
"One could only imagine that it would have been an emotional reunion," Nicholl said. "Because they haven't seen each other since the king's coronation, and then they didn't get to spend very much time together at all."
Prince Harry quickly flew back to the U.S. on Wednesday and it's unclear if he has any additional trips planned to visit his father in the future.
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