Kate Middleton will not accompany Prince William to Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize Awards.
The Princess of Wales was initially predicted to be absent from the event scheduled for 7 November. Now, the Palace has confirmed the speculation, noting that Kate plans to stay back at their home in Windsor and help the couple’s oldest child, Prince George, 10, prepare for an upcoming school test, according to People.
Meanwhile, Prince William confirmed he would be travelling to Singapore for the awards during the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City on 19 September.
Though Kate’s absence from the awards marks a break from tradition, as she has attended the previous two ceremonies, she has been vocal about wanting “normality” for her and William’s three children amid the obligations and appearance that come with the nature of their upbringing.
Speaking to People in 2019, a source close to Kate said: “She wants to emulate her upbringing, living in the countryside with a close-knit family.”
“She desperately wants that normality for her own kids,” they added.
Even without the Princess of Wales’ attendance in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Awards, the event remains significant to the family. Prince William founded the ceremony in 2020 to motivate the implementation of solutions to combat climate change. The goal is to pinpoint and fund over 50 programs designed to do so within a 10-year term.
In early September, Prince William announced the finalist for the 2023 awards during the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York. On 28 September, Kate and her husband spoke to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, about the event as well as mental illness struggles.
Cook took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to thank the royal couple for hosting him at Windsor Castle. “It was a true honour to meet with the Prince and Princess of Wales,” the tech mogul wrote. “We had a wonderful and wide-ranging discussion about the environment, mental health, and other issues that mean a great deal to all of us.”
In addition to the poignant message, Cook published photos alongside Kate and Prince William.
The inaugural awards ceremony was held in London in 2021, while the 2022 awards took place in Boston. For each occasion, Kate has championed sustainability through her wardrobe, with the royal opting for a green gown rented from online designer rental platform HURR for last year’s awards ceremony.
