Prince William and Kate Middleton will visit Mumbai for the 2026 Earthshot Prize ceremony on 17 November. Kensington Palace announced the trip on 14 November.
The visit will be the couple’s first joint trip overseas since Kate announced her cancer diagnosis in January 2024. It will also be their first official trip abroad together since they attended the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Boston in 2022.
The couple will spend several days in Mumbai. Their programme will focus on innovation, sustainability and youth leadership. It will also highlight the long ties between the United Kingdom and India.
A big step in Kate’s return
Kate announced her cancer diagnosis in January 2024. She said in early 2025 that her cancer was in remission. Since then, she has slowly returned to royal duties.
The India trip marks a big step in that return. It is her first time at an Earthshot Prize ceremony since Boston in 2022.
The couple last visited India together in 2016. That trip took them to Mumbai, New Delhi, Kaziranga National Park in Assam and the Taj Mahal in Agra. This visit comes nearly ten years later.
The biggest Earthshot ceremony yet
The Mumbai ceremony is set to be the biggest Earthshot Prize event so far. Around 5,000 people are expected to attend. They include heads of state, young people, academics, scientists, business leaders, innovators and philanthropists.
The 2026 prize received about 7,000 nominations from 169 countries. Fifteen finalists were selected. One of them is Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, an Indian maker of electric three-wheelers.
Prince William launched the Earthshot Prize in 2021. It is a ten-year project to find and support answers to climate change and other big environmental problems. The prize has five goals: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix our climate. Five winners receive £1 million each to grow their ideas.
Three days in Mumbai
The royal couple will take part in a three-day programme in Mumbai. Kensington Palace said the events will celebrate “innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the enduring connections between the United Kingdom and India”.
India holds a special place in this year’s prize. William pointed to the country’s technology, wildlife and young people when he announced the 2026 awards in February.
The couple will also meet young leaders and innovators during the visit. Their engagements will put the spotlight on Indian ideas that are already making a difference.
More details of the couple’s engagements will be shared closer to the visit. The ceremony takes place on Tuesday, 17 November.
Why the visit matters
The trip is about more than the awards. It is a sign that Kate is ready to travel abroad again for royal work. Her return has been slow and careful. Each step has been planned around her health.
The visit also shows how much India matters to the prize. India is home to one of this year’s finalists. Its young population and fast-growing technology sector are central to the prize’s aims.
For the royal couple, the trip is also a return to a country they know. Their 2016 visit was widely covered. This time, the focus is firmly on the environment and the young people working to protect it.
Sources: Gulf News and The Tribune. Read more of our UK coverage.
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