Prince William pulled out of a memorial for his godfather at Windsor Castle, hours before he was due to give a reading.
Palace officials said only that his absence at the service, for the late King Constantine of Greece, was due to a “personal matter” and that the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, “continues to be doing well”.
Hours after the event, it was announced that Thomas Kingston, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston, died suddenly on Sunday at the age of 45. The financier was found dead at an address in Gloucestershire; an inquest will be held to establish the cause of his death, but there are no suspicious circumstances.
William’s absence left Queen Camilla as the most senior royal attending the St George’s Chapel event, as King Charles is continuing to receive treatment for cancer.
But also present were the disgraced Duke of York who with ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York led the main contingent of British royals as they walked downhill from Windsor Castle to the church.
Andrew smiled as he strode ahead of Sarah followed by their daughter Princess Beatrice with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Zara and Mike Tindall and the King’s cousin Lady Sarah Chatto.
Queen Camilla leaves St George’s Chapel after the thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine (Chris Jackson/PA)
(PA Wire)
Constantine II’s widow Queen Anne-Marie was joined by their children, Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Alexia, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, Prince Philippos, and a number of their grandchildren.
Former prime minister Sir John Major was also invited by the Greek royal household to the service as was ex-Formula One racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Constantine was a first cousin once removed and sailing partner of the late Duke of Edinburgh, and died at the age of 82 in January last year, decades after being toppled from the throne in a military coup.
William has been expected to attend the ceremony alone, as Kate is away official engagements until after Easter following her surgery in January.
King Charles has also postponed almost all public engagements while he continues treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
William recently returned to royal duties after taking time off to care for Kate, who underwent abdominal surgery at the London Clinic for an unknown condition. She remained in the private hospital for 13 days while recovering before she returned back to the family’s Windsor home.
(Getty Images)
While she reportedly planned to continue some work from home, she is not expected to return to public engagements until after Easter and has not been seen publicly since Christmas Day.
Prince William has attended several engagements in recent weeks including an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, an air ambulance charity event and walking the red carpet alone at the Baftas.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson attend memorial service after William pulls out for ‘personal reasons’.
(PA)
There are currently no official engagements scheduled for the heir to the throne in the royal diary.
On Friday, Charles was pictured smiling while looking through some of the 7,000 messages and cards he had received since his diagnosis.
It came days after he carried out his first face-to-face official duties – an audience with prime minister Rishi Sunak, and a privy council meeting on Wednesday – since his condition was announced.
The type of cancer he has has not been revealed; nor is it known how many rounds of treatment are planned, but so far he has had at least two.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
