Despite Prince William's role as BAFTA president, neither he nor Kate Middleton will be in attendance at this year's awards ceremony red carpet on Sunday, Feb. 16. While royal fans will undoubtedly be disappointed to miss a red carpet sighting of Princess Kate wearing a designer gown, the couple apparently has a very good reason for skipping the 2025 BAFTAs.
According to The Mail on Sunday, William, Kate, and their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—have jetted off on a luxury family vacation. The prince and princess's three kids are currently on a school break, which led the family to book a trip to beloved royal destination, Mustique. The private Caribbean island was a favorite of Princess Margaret, and the Middletons have also enjoyed multiple stays on Mustique in recent years.
While it's hard not to wonder which designer Princess Kate would have worn for the 2025 BAFTAs, it seems that the royals simply wanted to spend some quality time as a family.
According to The Mail on Sunday's source, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall's family flew business class to Saint Lucia with British Airways, before switching to a private jet for the final leg of the journey to Mustique. The source also suggested that Kate's mom, Carole Middleton, was already staying on the island ahead of her grandchildren's arrival.
As noted by the outlet, "Mustique is owned by a private company...The island has one small hotel and visitors must own a villa there—or have an invitation to stay in one." There is also only one bar on Mustique— Basil's—which is frequented by the likes of "Mick Jagger, Daniel Craig, Noel Gallagher, and Kate Moss," per the publication.
It was previously reported that BAFTA was eager for William and Kate to attend the 2025 ceremony. "BAFTA has close ties with William and Kate and is pulling out all the stops to try to secure Kate's presence at this year's awards," a source told the Daily Mail in January. The insider also noted how excited the organization would be if Princess Kate made her "her big showbiz return" at the event following her cancer diagnosis. Prince William, of course, attended the BAFTAs solo in February 2024.
Kate Mansey, royal editor for The Times, shared the news that Kate and William would be missing the 2025 BAFTAs on X. "The Prince of Wales will not attend the @BAFTA awards ceremony on Sunday but will instead focus his efforts on highlighting the next generation of film talent," she wrote. "This year it falls on the first weekend of the half-term school holidays."
