Prince William Says His Olympics Absence Was All About Putting Kate Middleton First in a Sweet Video
Over the summer there was quite a bit of speculation that Prince William and Kate Middleton were considering an invitation to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics. It came on the heels of her much-celebrated appearances at Trooping the Colour and the men’s singles final at Wimbledon and the expectations were high at that point.
“The Princess would love to go to the Olympics,” a source told the Daily Express in early August. “She has such fond memories of London 2012 and is keen to go to another Games while it’s so close to home.” It’s understandable why Kate chose to stay home since she was finishing up her chemotherapy treatments, but William offered more insight on his decision to skip the Summer Games in an Oct. 3 appearance with Olympians Adam Peaty and Tom Dean, and Paralympians Maisie Summers-Newton and Louise Fiddes.
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Dean asked the royal, “Did you manage to get out there [to Paris]?” (You can see the video here.)
That’s when William revealed he made a last-minute decision to skip the high-profile event. “No, I was so keen to come but I have to say after reading someone’s interview about Covid I decided, because my wife was obviously having chemo, that I didn’t want to risk bringing Covid home,” he explained in reference to Peaty’s positive COVID-19 test in Paris. “So, Adam very kindly reminded me that that was still a thing!”
That gentle reminder didn’t stop the Waleses from cheering on their athletes. William noted, “But we watched the whole thing. We were glued to it every day. Catherine and I both adore swimming.” The Prince of Wales’ sweet gesture toward his wife is a reminder that COVID is indeed “still a thing” and immunocompromised patients and their family members should be cautious.
The royal family was represented by Princess Anne at the Summer Games. She competed in equestrian at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, is President of the British Olympic Association, and a member of the International Olympic Committee. Anne was spotted presenting medals to the winners at several events, and she was rooting for Team Great Britain while she was there.
Kate has completed her cancer treatments and even made a surprise cameo at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, Oct. 1 to greet a teen who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive tumor. Liz Hatton is a budding photographer, so the unexpected time with the Princess of Wales was an inspiring moment for the teen.
Before you go, click here to see more photos of Prince William & Kate Middleton through the years.
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