Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William, here seen arriving with Kate Middleton in Boston in November 2022, made the solo trip to New York on September 18, 2023 to promote his Earthshot Prize Awards. Photo: POOL via AFP / John Tlumacki POOL via AFP / John Tlumacki

Prince William arrived in New York City on Monday, September 18 for a two-day visit to promote his Earthshot Prize Awards. Obviously missing from the trip overseas is his wife, Kate Middleton, who was with him last year in Boston for the Earthshot Prize ceremony.

The Prince of Wales is in the Big Apple to meet with policy makers, business and conservation leaders and philanthropists at the second Eartshot Prize Innovation Summit which will take place on Tuesday, September 19. But ahead of the event, his first stop was at the Billion Oyster Project to learn more about its innovative approach to helping clear the waterways around the city using oysters.

He was seen wading in the East River and engaging with students from Harbor Middle School about the project. The royal took to Twitter to document his activities at the Big Apple on Monday which also included a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, during the U.N. General Assembly, to discuss the U.N. and the Earthshot Prize's shared hope for COP28 to bring a significant outcome on emissions reductions.

Meanwhile, as Prince William carried out his own work in New York, Kate Middleton on Monday visited the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton in Somerset for the first time in her new role as Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). King Charles III appointed her in the role which was held by Prince Andrew until 2022.

The Prince and Princess of Wales carried out separate public engagements although it can be remembered that they were both at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston last year in December.

Prince William will be making a solo appearance at the Prize Award Innovation Summit on Tuesday as aside from her royal duties, Kate Middleton also has their children to look after in the U.K.

The couple drives their children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, to school and makes sure that at least one of them is at home most evenings for when they return.

They want the children to have q normal upbringing with a source saying that "it's a balancing act" as the couple is also preparing them for their future royal roles. On Prince George's future role as monarch, the palace insider shared that Prince William and Kate Middleton "are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible, but he's also dipping into duties as a future monarch".

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