Prince William is set to make his first red carpet appearance since taking a reduced schedule of public appearances following the Princess of Wales' hospitalization for "planned abdominal surgery" last month.
Kensington Palace has confirmed that William will attend the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, an annual staple in the Wales couple's diary that traditionally gives fans a rare occasion to see the royals mixing with Hollywood A-listers.
This year, Christopher Nolan's drama Oppenheimer leads the projects set to be honored, earning 13 nominations including for the category of "Best Film." It joins Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things in line for the ultimate accolade.
William will not be accompanied at this year's ceremony by wife Kate, who is currently midway through a period of recuperation following her surgery.
The princess underwent an operation on January 16 and remained under supervision at The London Clinic for two weeks before being discharged to recover at home. In a statement, Kensington Palace said she was unlikely to make a return to public appearances until after Easter.
So far, the cause for the princess' surgery has not been revealed, though reports at the time stated that her condition is non-cancerous.
Following the announcement of the surgery, William canceled his immediate engagements and has undertaken two prominent appearances in the month since. On February 7 he performed an investiture at Windsor Castle, followed by a charity gala later that evening.
At the gala in honor of the London Air Ambulance Charity, which was also attended by Tom Cruise, William referenced his wife in his speech alongside a reference to his father, King Charles III, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you. Also for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days," he said. "It means a great deal to us all."
The annual BAFTA Film Awards appearance has become a favorite event among royal fans.
Prince William was made president of the British Film and Television Arts by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 and he has attended the awards regularly over the years.
The red carpet appearances alongside Kate have often sparked a wave of fashion reports focused on the princess' choice of gown and jewelry for the occasion.
For the 2023 event, Kate wore a recycled white Alexander McQueen gown with opera-length black gloves and statement earrings which was praised for its "avant-garde" aesthetic.
Subsequent to the announcement that the princess had left hospital and was "making good progress," so far there have been no further updates on Kate's ongoing recovery.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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