William pulls out of tournament as Kate rests after sickness treatment

On Saturday night William commented to guests at a charity function about the extent of his pregnant wife’s illness.

Attending the Winter Whites Gala in aid of homeless charity Centrepoint, he wryly observed that its name should be changed to reflect the fact she had been suffering night and day.

The royal couple had both originally been due to attend last night’s event, billed as “the largest display of military theatre in the world”, but all of Kate’s forthcoming public engagements were cancelled after she spent three nights at the King Edward VII’s Hospital suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum earlier this week.

A St James’s Palace spokesman said: “The Duke of Cambridge will no longer attend the British Military Tournament at Earl’s Court, but will spend Sunday privately with the Duchess instead.

“It is well known that hyperemesis gravidarum often recurs and, until further notice, to allow the Duchess a degree of privacy during her pregnancy, we do not intend to offer regular condition checks or advise of routine developments associated with it.”

Former Centrepoint chairman Michael O’Higgins said that William had joked that the name of Kate’s illness should be changed.

Mr O’Higgins said: “He said they shouldn’t call it morning sickness as it’s a day and all night sickness.”

The Duke, who is a patron of the charity, did not make any reference to the apparent suicide of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who fell for a hoax call by two Australian radio presenters.