Kate Middleton and Prince William Won’t Make Their Red Carpet Return at the BAFTAs This Year

Kensington Palace confirmed on Feb. 10 that the Prince and Princess of Wales will not be at the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 16. Prince William, who has been president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 2010, is set to appear in a video package as part of the awards and will visit the London Screen Academy on Wednesday.

Due to his role, Prince William is a regular on the red carpet at the annual ceremony, often accompanied by his wife. William, 42, and Kate, 43, most recently attended the event together in 2023.

The Prince of Wales attended the event solo in 2024, shortly after it was announced that his wife had recently undergone abdominal surgery (the following month, Kate revealed that she was undergoing treatment for cancer).
While speaking with Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, at the event, Prince William apologized for his wife’s absence. “I’m sorry Catherine’s not here. She does love the BAFTAs,” he said.

Prince William and Princess Kate have missed the BAFTAs before. William canceled his scheduled appearance in 2021 following the death of his grandfather Prince Philip, and they were absent due to diary constraints the following year.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge was all smiles while attending the awards show for the first time in 2017. She opted for a bespoke, floral print Alexander McQueen gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline, fitted bodice and full, tiered skirt. Kate wore her hair swept into an updo, keeping the attention on her chandelier pear-shaped earrings.
She opted for a dark green dress with black detailing by Jenny Packham in 2018 when guests including Angelina Jolie and Margot Robbie wore all black in support of the Time’s Up Movement. Kate wore a white asymmetrical dress from Alexander McQueen in 2019 the following year.

In 2020, Kate recycled a head-turning gold-and-white Alexander McQueen gown. Adhering to the sustainable fashion guide created by the London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainability, asking guests to re-wear, rent or buy vintage, the royal opted for the Alexander McQueen (her wedding gown designer!), which she previously wore the dress during a 2012 state dinner in Malaysia.

In one of her most memorable looks at the 2023 awards, the royal recycled her white Alexander McQueen gown from 2019, restyling the asymmetric neckline’s corsage-style embellishment on left shoulder to a regal sweep of white chiffon. Kate embraced bold accessories for the dress’ second spin, making a statement in oversized rose gold floral earrings from Zara and full-length black velvet opera gloves.
“Opera gloves are transformative; they have enormous leverage,” Genevieve James, creative director at royal glove supplier Cornelia James, told PEOPLE. “They turn any event into an occasion and a dress into a statement.”