Kate Middleton Joins Prince William in Mumbai for Their First Overseas Tour Together Since 2022

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, will travel to Mumbai for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, their first official overseas trip together since they attended the same awards in Boston in 2022. Kensington Palace announced the visit on November 14, saying the couple would attend the ceremony on November 17 and take part in a series of engagements in India.

The palace said their programme would celebrate “innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the enduring connections between the United Kingdom and India”. The visit will be their first together to India since 2016, when their tour took them to Mumbai, New Delhi, Kaziranga National Park in Assam and the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Catherine returns to Earthshot after three years away

Mumbai will be Catherine’s first Earthshot appearance since Boston. She stayed in Britain during the 2023 ceremony in Singapore to support the couple’s eldest son, Prince George, during his school exams. She also missed the ceremonies in Cape Town in 2024 and Rio de Janeiro in 2025 as she scaled back her public schedule following her cancer diagnosis.

The princess announced in 2024 that she was undergoing chemotherapy and stepped away from several engagements to focus on treatment. In early 2025, she said her cancer was in remission and gradually resumed public duties. Her schedule has since included state visits by US President Donald Trump and the Sultan of Oman.

In May, Catherine travelled to Reggio Emilia in northern Italy on her first overseas visit in more than two years. The two-day solo trip focused on the city’s approach to early childhood education, which is closely linked to her work on children’s development. The Mumbai trip puts her back on an international programme alongside William.

Royal author Russell Myers told People magazine in June that the princess had been given time to return to duties at her own pace, with her health the overriding concern. He said her public presence had been missed and described her as “a huge draw wherever she goes”.

A family friend told the magazine that Catherine was “a fantastic standard bearer” for the royal family and the country. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward also praised the princess’s handling of public engagements after Trump’s state visit, pointing to her composure and manners.

Mumbai’s Earthshot ceremony expects 5,000 guests

The Mumbai ceremony is expected to be the largest edition of the Earthshot Prize so far, with around 5,000 people attending. The guest list is expected to bring together heads of state, scientists, young people, business leaders, philanthropists, innovators and representatives of Indigenous communities.

William established the Earthshot Prize to support practical responses to environmental problems, including climate change and biodiversity loss. When he announced Mumbai as the host in February, he pointed to India’s technology sector, its young population and its share of global biodiversity. He also said India had produced more Earthshot finalists and winners than any other country.

An Indian electric three-wheeler maker is among the finalists

The 2026 awards drew around 7,000 nominations from 169 countries. Organisers narrowed the field to 15 finalists drawn from businesses, policymaking, community leadership and grassroots organisations.

Among them is Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, one of India’s major electric three-wheeler manufacturers. Argentina’s Satellites on Fire uses artificial intelligence to detect wildfires and send alerts. Yellowstone to Yukon, another finalist, works to connect habitats across a vast mountain landscape so wildlife can move through it.

The awards will put those projects before an international audience in Mumbai. For William and Catherine, the ceremony also brings their joint overseas schedule back to the event where they last appeared together abroad four years ago.

With inputs from ANI