Princess Kate \201cNot Expected to Accompany\201d Prince William to Singapore for This Year’s Earthshot Prize Awards, Reports Say

Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Earthshot Prize Awards

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 18 September 2023

We figured that, because of their children’s school schedules, the Princess of Wales wouldn’t join the Prince of Wales in New York City this week for his short visit there—but we weren’t expecting her to miss one of the most important events on William’s calendar each year, which will take place in a couple of months.

William’s third Earthshot Prize Awards will take place in Singapore this November, after the inaugural event in London in 2021 and then Boston in 2022. Kate has been on hand for both ceremonies heretofore, but, The Telegraph reports, she “is not expected to accompany” William for this year’s awards ceremony, the outlet writes.

As Hello reports, the news upset royal fans, who took to social media to share their disappointment: “So sad,” one wrote. “We wanna see Princess Catherine.” Another commented “Noooooo,” and a third simply posted a crying emoji. Others are still holding out hope that the news isn’t true, with one writing “I don’t believe this for one second”—but many fans speculated on why Kate’s attendance in Singapore hasn’t been confirmed, which it normally would be by now. (It also hasn’t been denied by the Palace, so there’s that.)

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A potential reason? “Security,” one fan wrote. “I doubt they will truly confirm anything. Look how they both pop up at events and don’t release until the last minute. There are far too many threats for them.” Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis’ school schedules at Lambrook School might also play a factor in the decision.

William announced the third award ceremony’s destination back in May, saying at the time “The Earthshot Prize is all about showing the world that solutions to some of the biggest environmental challenges we face are out there. After two years of discovering impactful ideas and innovations, I am delighted that The Earthshot Prize is travelling to Singapore, where the groundbreaking solutions of our 2023 finalists will be celebrated.” The Earthshot Prize celebrates innovators in five categories who are creating solutions to environmental issues; each winner is given £1 million to support and scale their work.

William and Kate opted to not undertake a foreign tour this year, but King Charles and Queen Camilla will head to France this week and are expected to tour Kenya this fall. And Kate will have many more opportunities to accompany William to the Earthshot Prize Awards, as the venture, started in 2020, is expected to run for 10 years, until 2030. William and Kate have actually already been to Singapore together, visiting the country in Southeast Asia back in September 2012 as part of the Diamond Jubilee Tour celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s sixtieth anniversary on the throne.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.