Kate Middleton Praised For Choosing Not To Attend Prince William's Earthshot Prize Awards

Kate Middleton is not traveling to Singapore with Prince William to attend the Earthshot Prize Awards on November 7. Her decision was met with praise especially since it was done out of familial reasons.

The Princess of Wales will instead be staying home in Windsor because it is an important week for Prince George, 10. It is exam week and she wants to be there to support him. She also has two more children to look after, Princess Charlotte, 8 and Prince Louis, 5, while her husband is away.

According to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, she "cheered" when she learned that the 41-year-old royal would not be joining the third annual Earthshot Prize Awards. She called it the "best decision" that her son will forever be thankful for.

"I cheered out loud when I learned that Catherine had chosen to stay home with George. It's absolutely the right decision," she told OK! magazine.

Bond added that for Prince William and Kate Middleton "official duties will come and go". She said there will also be more Earthshot events and prizes in the future that the princess can make up for.

But "children need their parents, and they grow up fast... This year, George has his own big event going on - exams. It is entirely right that his mum should be there to help him through them". Bond suspects that Prince William "is kicking himself that his schedule clashes with George's exams, but he will be wholly supportive of Catherine staying home to help their son".

The Daily Mail's Royal Editor Rebecca English reported on Kate Middleton's absence at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore. But Kensington Palace has yet to confirm the royal's absence. It is also unclear if Prince William will travel solo or bring another royal family member along for the event.

This is the first Earthshot Prize Awards that Kate Middleton would miss after having been able to attend the inaugural event in London in October 2021 and the second ceremony in Boston in December 2022. Last year, the mum-of-three presented the "Clean Our Air" award on stage.

It would also be the second time that she would not be traveling with Prince William overseas this year following his two-day visit to New York City in September. The Prince of Wales was in the Big Apple to promote the Earthshot Prize.

He attended the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit where he announced the 15 finalists selected out of 1,300 nominees for this year's awards. He also confirmed Singapore as the venue for the ceremony.

This year's international contest invited changemakers to submit solutions across five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate." Out of the 15 finalists only five will be awarded. Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales did her own public engagements in the U.K. while her husband was in New York.

Prince George is expected to follow in his father's footsteps and enroll in Eton College when he turns 13 years old in September 2026. The school is not cheap as it charges £48,501 a year and has been known to be the college of choice of some of Britain's royals. Aside from Prince William, his brother Prince Harry also went to school there as well as the Duke of Kent and Samuel and Arthur Chatto, the sons of Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto.

Eton, which was founded by King Henry VI in 1440, boasts remarkable facilities. In terms of sports, it has 19 cricket pitches, approximately 40 football/rugby pitches, 50 tennis courts and a two-kilometer rowing lake. It is not yet confirmed though if Prince George will attend Eton College but he was seen getting a tour of the grounds with Prince William and Kate Middleton in June this year.