Kate to Join Prince William in India for Earthshot Prize in Biggest Trip Since Cancer Treatment
Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, will join her husband Prince William in Mumbai this week for his annual Earthshot Prize awards, Kensington Palace confirmed on Friday — her biggest foreign trip since she was treated for cancer.
The couple, both 44, will take part in a series of events across Mumbai during a three-day visit starting on Monday, November 16, with the awards ceremony on Tuesday, November 17. For Kate, the trip marks her most high-profile overseas visit since she underwent preventative chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer in 2024.
While she is now in remission, Kate has said the illness still affects her life. The visit is being seen as the most significant milestone yet in her gradual return to full royal duties.
A milestone in her return to royal life
Since her illness, Kate has significantly reduced her official workload, saying she was taking each day as it comes. Her public appearances have gradually increased, but she has not joined William on any previous foreign trips since her diagnosis.
Her only significant overseas visit since 2024 came in May, when she travelled alone to Italy for two days as part of her work on early childhood development.
The Mumbai trip will be the couple’s first joint overseas trip since they attended the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan in 2023. It will also be Kate’s first appearance at the Earthshot Prize since the ceremony was held in Boston in 2022.
In an interview published this week in the latest edition of Country Life magazine, for which William was guest editor, Kate spoke candidly about her recovery. “I was told in hospital that my recovery would not be linear. There will be good days and bad days, that it will take time,” she said.
What the Mumbai visit will involve
William founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020 with the aim of finding solutions to climate change. It awards five winners one million pounds — about $1.3 million — each to scale up their projects. Organisers say the Mumbai ceremony will be the biggest edition of the awards so far, with around 5,000 guests expected.
“For the prince, Earthshot is ultimately about replacing pessimism with possibility,” a spokesperson for the couple’s office at Kensington Palace said. “It is about demonstrating that while the environmental challenges facing our planet are serious, the ingenuity, determination and creativity being applied to solving them are every bit as powerful.”
The royals will be joined at the awards ceremony by a number of celebrities, including Indian cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar, actors Alia Bhatt and Rami Malek, and British pop group Take That, who will give their first-ever performance in India. Presenters for the night also include actress Sonam Kapoor.
“To be performing here for the very first time, after all these years, and alongside the extraordinary people creating a better future for our planet — is really special,” Take That said in a statement.
Away from the awards, the couple will attend events linked to Indian cricket, fashion and cinema, as well as the inaugural Children’s Earthshot Awards ceremony. Kensington Palace said the engagements would celebrate “innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the enduring connections between the United Kingdom and India.”
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William announced back in February that the prize would be held in Mumbai, hailing India as one of the world’s most important countries for environmental innovation. The wider Earthshot summit runs in Mumbai and Jaipur from November 13 to 17, and the project is now halfway through its decade-long cycle to recognise and reward ideas that help “repair” the planet.
Why this matters
The announcement ends months of speculation about whether Kate would travel to India. Her presence turns what was already a flagship event for William into a joint royal occasion — and a highly visible statement about her recovery.
For the Earthshot Prize, the couple’s joint appearance brings extra attention to an awards ceremony that depends on public interest to attract funding and support for its finalists. The prize aims to translate recognition into investment and market access for environmental innovators, and a royal visit of this scale puts that mission in front of a global audience.
For the monarchy, the trip also matters as a signal. Kate’s return to major overseas touring has been one of the most closely watched questions since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. A three-day visit to India — with a full programme of public engagements — suggests the palace believes she is ready for the demands of international royal travel again.
Latest developments
- Kensington Palace confirmed on Friday, November 14, that Kate will join William in Mumbai from November 16 to 18.
- The Earthshot Prize awards ceremony takes place on Tuesday, November 17, at the Jio World Convention Centre.
- Five winners will each receive £1 million to scale up their environmental projects.
- Take That will perform in India for the first time, joined by Sachin Tendulkar, Alia Bhatt, Rami Malek and Sonam Kapoor.
- The couple will also attend the inaugural Children’s Earthshot Awards ceremony and events on cricket, fashion and cinema.
Frequently asked questions
When are William and Kate travelling to India?
The couple will arrive in Mumbai on Monday, November 16, for a three-day visit. The Earthshot Prize awards ceremony is on Tuesday, November 17, and the visit concludes on Wednesday, November 18.
Why is this trip significant for Kate?
It is her biggest overseas trip since she was treated for cancer in 2024, and her first joint overseas trip with William since 2023. She announced her diagnosis in March 2024, underwent preventative chemotherapy and is now in remission, but has said the illness still impacts her life.
What is the Earthshot Prize?
The Earthshot Prize was founded by Prince William in 2020 to find and fund solutions to climate change and environmental damage. Five winners each year receive £1 million to grow their projects. The 2026 ceremony in Mumbai is the sixth edition of the awards.
Who else will be at the ceremony?
Organisers expect around 5,000 guests. Presenters and performers include cricket great Sachin Tendulkar, actors Alia Bhatt, Rami Malek and Sonam Kapoor, and British pop group Take That, who will perform in India for the first time.
Kate’s return to the world stage will be watched closely in Britain and beyond. If the Mumbai visit goes as planned, it will mark not just a celebration of environmental innovation, but a personal milestone — the Princess of Wales travelling the world again, on her husband’s biggest night of the year.
Sources: Reuters; Hello Magazine; Radio NewsHub (PA); ANI.
