Prince William Fails to Show Up at Windsor Castle Event 'Due to a Personal Matter' Amid King Charles' Cancer Battle
Prince William and his father, King Charles, both missed a service for the late King Constantine of Greece at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, February 27.
Both Prince William and King Charles were absent from a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece.
William pulled out of the event last minute "due to a personal matter," while Charles is not actively carrying out public duties as he receives treatment for his cancer diagnosis.
The heir to the throne's reason for missing the service, which took place at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, February 27, is believed to be unrelated to his wife Princess Kate's recovery from an abdominal surgery she had last month.
While details regarding William's absence remain disclosed, a source confirmed to a news publication: "The Princess of Wales continues to be doing well."
Charles' absence from the service for his second cousin at St George's Chapel in Windsor comes in the midst of his ongoing cancer battle.
The specific kind of cancer the king was diagnosed with has not been revealed to the public.
Despite William and Charles' absence at the somber event, other royals — including Prince Andrew, his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and Queen Consort Camilla — were in attendance.
His Majesty's brother and Sarah were spotted arriving with their children, though Andrew was later assigned a seat next to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Fans of the royal family weren't too pleased to see Andrew as one of the most prominent faces at the event, as the disgraced son of Queen Elizabeth II was forced to step down from his roles within the British monarchy due to his ties to s-- offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"'Prince Andrew leads…' should not be anywhere next to 'Royal Family'. I’m sorry but this is terrible optics all around," one critic complained on social media, as another shocked viewer said: "Andrew?!!!!!!!!"
King Constantine had a tight-knit bond with members of the royal family prior to passing away at age 82 in January 2023. The second cousin of Charles was even chosen to be the godfather of his first born, William.
He is also a godfather to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston.
Queen Anne-Marie, the widow of the last King of Greece — who reigned from March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy in June 1973 — was present at her late husband's service alongside their eldest son, Crown Prince Pavlos, and other members of the Greek royal family.
In additional to missing his memorial service, Charles also skipped out on Constantine's funeral in Athens last year due to other commitments — including a meeting with the president of Cyprus.
Instead, Princess Anne represented the royal family at the service.
The Mirror spoke to a source confirming Princess Kate was fine and provided updates about which royals attended the memorial service.
