The Countess of Wessex's slow recovery from an emergency caesarean has led to the postponement of a reunion with her newborn daughter.
Thirty-eight-year-old Sophie, who gave birth to a little girl one month prematurely, continues to receive treatment at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey. Doctors hoped she would be able to see her as-yet-unnamed infant on Thursday, but the first-time-mum is still heavily sedated and her condition has only begun to improve in recent days.
It is believed the Countess is not likely to leave hospital until Monday at the earliest. Meanwhile, Buckingham palace has confirmed that the newborn, who weighed just 4lbs 9oz at birth, will remain in a separate facility, St George's Hospital, for up to three weeks.
The expectant mum had the emergency procedure at the weekend after suffering agonising cramps, believed to have been caused when the placenta broke away from the womb, causing a massive haemorrhage. "She is totally distraught about not being with her baby," said a friend. "But she lost a major amount of blood and is very ill. She is still being kept on tranquilisers."
Since the crisis, only Sophie's parents and her husband Prince Edward, who has seen both his wife and daughter daily, have been allowed to visit.
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