Prince William fails to hide 'sadness' at key event without Kate Middleton

Prince William appeared to cut a lonely figure with Kate Middleton by his side at Buckingham Palace banquet in honour of Japanese state visit.

The Prince of Wales was filmed looking “sad” and “far away” at the opulent dinner, according to royal expert Angela Levin.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, she expressed: “William looks sad and far away. He has so much on his plate.”

Royal watchers agreed with the expert’s analysis, noting his evident longing for his wife the Princess of Wales.

“William looks lonely - he's missing Catherine,” suggested one.

“Perhaps he is missing the Princess of Wales,” another affirmed.

King Charles hosted Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako during their visit to the UK for the first time since 1998.

William was assigned the role of bringing the royal guests to Horse Guards parade by his father, an honour he previously fulfiled alongside his wife the Princess of Wales during South Korean state visit last year.

Kate was notably absent from the recent royal event, owing to her break from duties in the wake of treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.

Moreover, Princess Anne was forced to skip as she remains hospitalized after sustaining injuries following an incident involving a horse on Sunday.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan are set to stay in the country until later this week, during which they will undertake a number of engagements, including a visit to The Francis Crick Institute.