Kate, the Princess of Wales, will undertake her longest overseas trip since undergoing cancer treatment. She will accompany her husband, Prince William, to India from November 16 to 18, Kensington Palace announced.
The visit to Mumbai will be Kate’s second official overseas trip since she announced in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer. In 2024, the princess underwent preventive chemotherapy and later announced that the disease was in remission. In May this year, she visited Italy for two days, but the current trip will be longer and will feature a broader official programme.
The Earthshot Prize is at the heart of the visit
The main event on the programme is the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on November 17. Prince William founded the award in 2020 to support solutions to some of the most serious environmental problems. Each of the five winning projects will receive £1 million.
A representative of the prince and princess’s office said the initiative was focused on „replacing pessimism with possibility“. According to Kensington Palace, the three-day programme will cover innovation, sustainable development, youth leadership and ties between the United Kingdom and India.
Kate and William will also take part in events dedicated to cricket, fashion and Indian cinema. The couple have visited India before, but the current trip will be their first official visit to the country since 2016.
A return to international engagements
Kate did not attend the Earthshot Prize ceremonies in 2023, 2024 or 2025 because of her recovery and family commitments. Her last appearance at the ceremony was in Boston in 2022.
The trip to Mumbai is the clearest sign yet of her gradual return to international engagements. It comes several months after her visit to Reggio Emilia, Italy, which focused on early childhood development — a cause the princess has worked on for years.
Sources: streetinsider.com, straitstimes.com, aol.co.uk