Prince William recently attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honor of the Japanese Emperor, Emperor Naruhito, and Empress Masako. The event, hosted by King Charles, marked the first visit of the Japanese royal couple to the UK since 1998.
At the opulent dinner, Prince William seemed to cut a lonely figure, appearing "sad" and "far away," according to royal expert Angela Levin. She took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express her observations: “William looks sad and far away. He has so much on his plate.” Many royal watchers agreed with her, noting his evident longing for his wife, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.
Comments from the public echoed this sentiment. “William looks lonely - he's missing Catherine,” suggested one observer. Another added, “Perhaps he is missing the Princess of Wales.”
Prince William was assigned the role of bringing the royal guests to Horse Guards Parade by his father, a role he had previously fulfilled alongside Kate during a state visit from South Korea last year. However, Kate was notably absent from this recent event due to her break from duties following treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Additionally, Princess Anne was unable to attend as she remains hospitalized after sustaining injuries in a horse-related incident on Sunday.
The Emperor and Empress of Japan are set to stay in the country until later this week, during which they will undertake a number of engagements, including a visit to The Francis Crick Institute.
