Prince William's Absence From BAFTA Had Organizers Saying The Same Thing

Prince William has served as the president of the BAFTAs since 2010 — and as such, he has always previously attended the ceremony with his wife, Kate Middleton. However, last year the Duke of Cambridge canceled his virtual appearance at the annual awards show due to Prince Philip's death. And while he was expected to show up this year, William instead opted to send a pre-recorded video message to those in attendance, which included Lady Gaga, Caitríona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and others, per Town & Country. "Due to diary constraints [Prince William] is not able to attend in person this year," a BAFTA spokesperson told Variety, ahead of the star-studded event.

Instead, William and Kate will be traveling to the Caribbean on March 19, 2022 in honor of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. As Town & Country reports, the royal couple are set to visit Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas as part of the tour. However, some royal followers believe that William decided to skip the 2022 BAFTAs due to the war in Ukraine. Per the Daily Mail, users have been taking to Twitter with their own speculation about the fact the prince may be opting out of the BAFTAs due to "optics with Ukraine." Likewise, a Daily Mail writer wrote in a separate article of her "puzzlement" over William's last-minute decision. But whatever the Duke of Cambridge's reason for skipping the event, the decision left BAFTA organizers "very disappointed," per the Daily Mail.

Prince William's decision to not attend the 2022 BAFTA awards has been a huge letdown for the show's producers. "Prince William is always a huge draw, not least as it's the first year back in person after the pandemic," a source told the Mirror. "But BAFTA were told that diary constraints precluded him from attending in person this year. It's such a shame and everyone is very disappointed." The Duke of Cambridge was set to deliver a video message during last year's virtual ceremony, but canceled due to the passing of his grandfather, Prince Phillip. "That was, of course, totally understandable," the source noted. "But everyone expected him to attend this year and the fact he is not, is most unfortunate."

That said, Prince William still managed to send his support from afar, according to Hello! Magazine. In a pre-recorded message, he expressed that he is "extremely proud to see the work that BAFTA undertakes year-round to provide opportunities and support for talented people to develop successful careers in film, games and television." After touching on specific BAFTA programs, William went on to share his dreams for the future of the event. "BAFTA hopes to inspire and support future generations from all walks of life to become the filmmakers of the future. And I hope that for some of those watching these awards, that journey starts today," he added.