Prince William and Kate Middleton to visit India for Earthshot Prize Awards
Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, are set to travel to India this week, marking their first joint overseas trip since Kate's cancer diagnosis in 2024.
The royal couple will begin their three-day visit Monday, Nov. 16, in Mumbai, where they will attend the sixth annual Earthshot Prize Awards on Tuesday, Kensington Palace announced.
The trip will also mark Kate's first appearance at the environmental awards ceremony since 2022, when it was held in Boston.
"Their Royal Highnesses will undertake a programme of engagements across Mumbai between Monday 16th and Wednesday 18th November, celebrating innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the enduring connections between the United Kingdom and India," the palace said in a statement.
During the visit, William will meet the 2026 Earthshot Prize finalists and attend the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly, while Kate will join him for several engagements.
The Earthshot Prize, founded by William in 2020, recognizes efforts to address environmental challenges, including climate change, air pollution and biodiversity loss. Each year, five winners receive 1 million British pounds to help advance their work.
William and Kate will also attend the inaugural Children's Earthshot Awards, recognizing children ages 9 to 17 who have developed solutions to environmental challenges in their communities.
The initiative involved 15,000 schools across 24 Indian states, according to the palace.
The couple will also take part in engagements highlighting cultural connections between India and the United Kingdom, including cricket, fashion and film.
Before returning to the U.K., William and Kate will travel to New Delhi to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The visit comes as Kate continues her return to royal duties following her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. She announced in September of that year that she had completed chemotherapy and revealed in January 2025 that her cancer was in remission.
Kate recently spoke about her recovery and the role nature played in her healing process in an interview with writer Robert Macfarlane for Country Life.
"I was told in hospital that my recovery would not be linear," she said. "There will be good and bad days, that it will take time."
Kate added that spending time in nature had helped her find a deeper connection to her "mind, body and spirit."
The upcoming trip will be William and Kate's second official visit to India. They last visited the country in 2016 during a royal tour that also included Bhutan.
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