Prince William flew to Singapore for two notable royal engagements, but he didn’t have Princess Kate by his side.
William, 41, explained his wife’s absence from the visit during a speech on Monday, November 6, at the United for Wildlife summit. “Catherine is very sorry she can’t be here,” the Prince of Wales said. “She is helping George through his first set of major exams.”
William and Kate, also 41, share sons Prince George, 10, and Prince Louis, 5, and daughter Princess Charlotte, 8. Kensington Palace previously confirmed in September that Kate would remain with the kids in Windsor while William traveled for the United for Wildlife event and the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony. (Kate previously attended the first-annual Earthshot Prize event in London in 2021 and its follow-up in Boston in 2022.)
During his speech on Monday, William reflected on his last “memorable” trip to Singapore with Kate 11 years prior. The couple made the journey on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. “I’m delighted to be back,” he gushed.
The couple have been married since 2011, and their relationship hasn’t been without its hiccups. “Kate and William have been having ups and downs in their marriage like everyone else,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly last month. “But they’re focused on their royal duties and doing that as a unit.”
Despite their highs and lows, a second insider told Us in September that William and Kate are “more in sync than ever” in their marriage, adding, “They cherish what they have with each other. For them, family comes first, and it always will.”
According to the second source, the royal duo were hit “extremely hard” by Elizabeth’s death in September 2022. “They’re the first to admit it’s been a tough year, but everyone agrees William and Kate have done a wonderful job staying strong in the face of such adversity,” the insider told Us.
More than a decade into their marriage, William and Kate are still “in awe of each other.” Per the second source, “William tells anyone who will listen that he couldn’t do it without Kate, and she echoes that right back.”
While William’s Singapore outing was a solo one, George and his siblings have been stepping out with their parents more frequently. Last month, George matched with his dad in France while supporting Wales in the Rugby World Cup. Charlotte had her own sporty moment in August, sending a shout-out to the English women’s soccer team before the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.
William and Kate are passing on their shared love of athletics to their children. “The team environment of sport played a big part in my life and my upbringing,” the prince said on Mike Tindall’s “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby” podcast in September. “I gelled and loved being in that quadrant of fear, noise, competitiveness with your mates and your team around you.”
William added at the time that learning “how to lose well” is one of the biggest benefits of playing sports. “Talking about our children in particular, I want to make sure they understand that,” he said. “It’s really important from a young age to understand how to lose and why we lose and then to grow from it through that process.”
