Prince William risks major challenge without Kate Middleton by his side

Prince William is seemingly anticipating a grim challenge ahead of the third annual awards ceremony of the Earthshot Prize next month.

The upcoming event, to be held in Singapore, has raised skepticism over the extent of public and media attention it will be able to retain, after Kensington Palace confirmed speculations that the Prince of Wales will be attending the ceremony without Kate Middleton.

The Princess of Wales’ absence has been ascribed to their eldest son, Prince George’s upcoming school exams.

If history is of any indication, foreign public has been naturally inclined toward the female members of the royal family, hence, the King-in-waiting might be faced with a plummet in popularity as well as extent of media interest in the awards this year.

Prince William relies on Princess Kate during public interaction:

Despite the fact that William managed to hold his own during a solo visit to New York City last month, royal expert Darren Stanton reflected on his anxious body language throughout the trip, noting that the prince is “not as confident” as Kate, who also undertook solo royal engagements around the same time.

”While Kate is naturally quite confident during both solo and joint engagements, William appears more sure of himself when in the company of his wife,” he spoke to the Daily Express on behalf of Betfair Bingo.

”Kate is William’s rock and we often see him letting her take the lead during their joint engagements, with the royal happy to watch on proudly as she takes charge during interactions.

He noted that William is visibly “reserved” when out solo, drawing comparisons to the “minimal gestures” displayed by the late Queen Elizabeth during her public engagements.

According to royal reporter James Crawford-Smith, King Charles and Queen Camilla’s first State Opening of Parliament, which will take place on Nov. 7 in London, could also result in a “reduced degree of media interest”.

“These factors combined leave William's key project with challenges as it seeks to capture the attention of the public and media,” he noted in his latest column for Newsweek.

Founded by William in 2020, the Earthshot Prize is inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s ambitious “moonshot” speech. 

It aims to discover and help grow eco-friendly initiatives around the world.