Prince William and Kate missed out on an epic royal event and an expert has suggested a very understandable reason why.
Out of all the working members of the immediate and extended Royal Family, the Prince and Princess of Wales are likely some of the most in-demand given their senior positions. This year alone has been an incredibly busy one for the couple in light of King Charles’ coronation and settling into their new roles. After weeks of solo and joint engagements, Prince William and Kate are predicted to enjoy a quieter time now during Prince George, Charlotte and Louis’ half-term break.
However, Prince William and Kate missed out on an epic gala in Denmark pre-half-term that some fans might’ve expected them to attend. And according to royal expert Dickie Arbiter, if they were definitely invited there’s probably a very understandable reason why they weren’t there.
On 15th October plenty of European royals came together to celebrate the 18th birthday of Prince Christian of Denmark. Some fans might have expected someone from the British Royal Family to attend and possibly Prince William and Kate as senior royals. Like Prince Christian, Prince William will be a monarch one day, and Kate has previously been to Denmark and met with Prince Christian’s grandmother Queen Margrethe and mother Crown Princess Mary.
As it turned out the Prince and Princess of Wales weren’t at the gala, though it’s not known whether they or any other British royals received an invite. If they did, Dickie Arbiter has suggested to Femail that they likely wouldn’t have accepted due to packed schedules and a limited number of working royals.
“Royal diaries are generally completed a good six to seven months in advance,” he said, “There are minor gaps to allow for last minute engagements as we saw this weekend".
He continued, “British royals are not fussy - busy, yes. There are only eleven working royals, all with particularly full diaries and even royals are allowed down time.”
The Princess of Wales watched England play on the actual day of the birthday gala in her official capacity as Patron of the Rugby Football Union. Whilst Prince William, as Patron of Welsh Rugby, watched Wales the day before.
Dickie went on to claim that “in the past” Queen Elizabeth “would more than likely have received an invitation” to a gala such as this and if she couldn’t attend herself, he predicted she “would have asked one of her family to represent her depending on the nature of the engagement”. He also expressed his belief that the “UK population at large” would “prefer” to see royals like Prince William and Kate “at work rather than attend[ing] birthday celebrations”.
With only a select group of working royals and incredibly busy schedules, it’s perhaps understandable that Prince William and Kate missed out on Prince Christian’s birthday gala which was still very well attended. They instead prioritised official appearances in France and with half-term starting on 16th, their children likely factored majorly into their plans too.
This balancing act between work, family and public commitments definitely seems a challenging one. So whilst some might’ve been disappointed not to see the Waleses in Denmark, not least to enjoy another tiara moment from Kate, it makes sense that sometimes they just have to miss out on certain events.
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