Kate returns to major royal tours with Earthshot Prize trip to India

The Princess of Wales will make a return to major overseas royal tours when she joins her husband in India for his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.

Speculation had been mounting Kate would make the trip with William to host city Mumbai after a number of reports indicated she would fly to the subcontinent.

Kensington Palace has confirmed from Monday the prince and princess will take part in three days of royal events “celebrating innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the enduring connections between the United Kingdom and India”.

The couple are expected to meet Bollywood stars as they learn about India’s hugely popular film industry, celebrate the country’s passion for cricket and the highlight will be Tuesday’s Earthshot Prize Awards night – when winners in five categories will each receive £1 million.

The visit is a significant milestone for Kate and will be her first long-haul overseas trip since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.

She was successfully treated at the Royal Marsden hospital for the undisclosed form of the disease, before declaring herself in remission the following January.

William said in an interview earlier this year his wife was “edging herself back” into doing more overseas visits after her cancer journey, but cautioned royal trips took their toll so we have to “make sure she’s okay and rested”.

His comments were made in May after Kate completed a two-day visit to the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, near Bologna, on a fact-finding visit to learn about a unique form of early years teaching pioneered in the city.

Kate last attended an Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in the US city of Boston, joining her husband on the event’s featured green carpet for the glittering presentation in December 2022.

Just over six months later, the prince and princess were guests at the Middle East wedding of the Crown Prince of Jordan – and Kate made solo trips to France in autumn 2023 to watch England’s Rugby World Cup campaign in her role as patron of the Rugby Football Union.

The couple’s last major tour was to the Caribbean in March 2022, a trip that was heavily criticised for images that smacked of “colonialism” – but they also received a warm welcome from many Caribbeans.

William and Kate’s visit was seen by some commentators as a landmark moment in royal tours – when growing awareness of racial equality, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, meant future Commonwealth tours would have to be sensitive to these issues.

The prince’s Earthshot project is halfway through its decades-long cycle to recognise and reward ideas to help “repair” the planet and the event has already been staged in London, Singapore, Cape Town, Boston and Rio de Janeiro.

Since its launch in 2021, William has managed to attract a host of stars to his cause, from Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett to broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough – and former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.

The initiative was inspired by former US president John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project, which set scientists the challenge of placing an astronaut on the Moon and returning him safely – and in the process helped advance mankind’s achievements.

William and Kate will also attend the inaugural Children’s Earthshot Awards ceremony, which encouraged youngsters across India to tackle environmental issues under the “I Can Earthshot Challenge”.

The prince has discussed the project with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, an initiative that invited nine to 17-year-old’s to look beyond environmental awareness and take meaningful action.

Jason Knauf, Earthshot’s chief executive officer, said: “As we prepare to host the Earthshot Prize Summit in Mumbai, these remarkable children remind us that local community action, driven by youthful optimism and determination, is vital to repairing our planet.

“We can’t wait to celebrate them in Mumbai for our biggest edition yet.”