Why Prince William and Princess Kate are skipping the 2025 BAFTA TV Awards
The 2025 BAFTA TV Awards are officially here, with the red carpet proceedings kicking off at London's Royal Festival Hall. And with A-listers from Billie Piper to Nicola Coughlan in attendance, the ceremony has been all anyone can talk about.
The prestigious awards show, hosted this year by Alan Cummings, will celebrate the past year in television. And with Baby Reindeer, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Rivals and The Traitors leading the nominations, the evening is set to be star-studded.
It was a few noticeable absences however that made the most headlines, with the Prince and Princess of Wales not in attendance.
Prince William has been the President of BAFTA since 2010, attending multiple BAFTA film award ceremonies over the years since his appointment.
And while the Prince of Wales has still not attended a BAFTA TV award ceremony, it was thought that this could change this year, with the royal couple missing the 2025 British Academy Film awards in February.
Of course, it's not surprising that the royal couple has chosen to miss this evening's ceremony, with the Prince and Princess of Wales still scaling up their duties after Princess Kate's health recovery.
And given their multiple public outings this month, from their milestone Scottish tour to the recent VE Day engagements, it would make sense to lighten their calendar.
Experts have also noted that the royal couple's priorities have changed since their difficult 2024, with the Prince and Princess putting family time first.
"Before, [the Princess of Wales] used to live her life by the calendar," Robert Jobson, author of Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, explained recently. "And now she is living her life, and the calendar comes in after."
While the royal couple will not be in attendance at this evening's ceremony, there could still be a surprise cameo, with Prince William releasing a pre-recorded message to the public during the 2024 BAFTA TV ceremony.
The BAFTA TV awards will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7pm.
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