Earthshot Prize: Prince William, Kate Middleton to attend Earthshot Prize in Mumbai in first joint overseas tour since 2022

File photo: Prince William and Kate Middleton

Britain’s Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, will join her husband Prince William in India this week for the 2026 Earthshot Prize awards, marking her biggest overseas engagement since undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer in 2024.The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 44, will travel to Mumbai for a three-day visit featuring events around the annual environmental awards, with the ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, according to Reuters .The visit will be their first joint overseas tour since Kate’s cancer diagnosis in 2024. Their last official overseas tour together was to Boston in the United States in 2022, also for the Earthshot Prize.Kate has gradually increased her public engagements since announcing that she was in remission in early 2025. However, she has not accompanied William on his previous overseas trips for the awards, which were held in Singapore in 2023, Cape Town in 2024 and Rio de Janeiro in 2025.Her only significant overseas visit since her diagnosis before the India trip was a two-day solo engagement in Italy in May, focused on early childhood development.

Earthshot Prize to host its biggest ceremony in Mumbai

Founded by Prince William in 2020, the Earthshot Prize aims to identify and support solutions to climate change and other environmental challenges. Five winners receive £1 million ($1.3 million) each to help scale up their projects.The Mumbai ceremony is expected to be the biggest edition of the awards so far, bringing together around 5,000 people, including heads of state, young people, academics, scientists, businesses, innovators, philanthropists and representatives of indigenous communities, People.com reported.This year’s awards received around 7,000 nominations from 169 countries, with 15 finalists selected. They include Argentina-based wildfire detection platform Satellites on Fire, the Yellowstone to Yukon conservation initiative and Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, one of India’s major electric three-wheeler manufacturers.William’s office at Kensington Palace said the visit would also focus on innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the longstanding relationship between the UK and India.“For the prince, Earthshot is ultimately about replacing pessimism with possibility,” a spokesperson for the couple’s office 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 royal couple are also expected to attend events connected with Indian cricket, fashion and cinema during their stay.

Sachin Tendulkar, Alia Bhatt among guests

The awards ceremony will feature several prominent Indian and international personalities, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, actor Alia Bhatt and actor Rami Malek.British pop group Take That will also perform in India for the first time at the event.“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,” the group said in a statement.India was selected to host the 2026 awards partly because of its role in technology, biodiversity and climate initiatives. Announcing the host city in February, William highlighted India’s large young population and its contribution to the Earthshot Prize.The couple also have a previous association with the country. They visited India and Bhutan in 2016, travelling to Mumbai, New Delhi, Kaziranga National Park in Assam and the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Kate says cancer recovery has not been linear

Kate stepped back from public duties after announcing her cancer diagnosis in January 2024 and undergoing preventative chemotherapy. She revealed in early 2025 that she was in remission, while acknowledging that recovery continued to affect her life.In an interview published this week in Country Life magazine, for which William served as guest editor, she spoke about the challenges of 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.Since returning to public life, Kate has gradually taken on more engagements, including hosting state visits. Her May visit to Italy was her first overseas trip in more than two years.The India visit will be her first joint foreign engagement with William since his cancer diagnosis was made public, as the couple continue their overseas work alongside the environmental and other causes they support.