Prince William Attends Royal Ascot Day 2, King Charles Sits Out

Prince William made a royal appearance on day two of the Royal Ascot without his dad, King Charles III.

The Prince of Wales, 41, was photographed at the annual horse racing festival on Wednesday, June 19, but his father was noticeably absent. William was photographed laughing with his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as they rode in carriages. William appeared to be in good spirits as he waved to royal watchers attending the event.

While Charles, 75, missed out, Queen Camilla was present for the second day of the race. She rode in a separate carriage from William as the royals arrived.

The Royal Ascot is an annual week-long event, with various horse races taking place at the Ascot Racecourse in England. This year’s event kicked off on Tuesday, June 18, and will come to an end on Saturday, June 22. Each morning, members of the royal family arrive at the racecourse in a procession with horse-drawn carriages before watching the day’s races.

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Charles made an appearance for the opening day on Tuesday alongside wife Camilla, 76. The king’s absence on Wednesday comes as he continues to undergo treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer. William’s wife, Princess Kate Middleton, also didn’t attend the first two days of the Royal Ascot despite stepping out for Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 15.

Both Charles and Kate announced their respective cancer battles earlier this year. Details about their specific diagnoses have been kept under wraps, but they’ve each shared rare health updates over the past few months.

Charles spoke to Rod Stewart about his cancer treatment during the The King’s Foundation awards earlier this month.

“I went through all that. I had treatment five days a week,” Stewart, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, said at the time. “Like him, I was still working. He’s remarkable.”

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While Stewart, 79, was in the clear after three years, Charles is still in the throes of treatment.

Kate, for her part, has stayed mostly out of the public eye since news of her diagnosis went public in March. As she confirmed her Trooping the Colour attendance, Kate provided an update on her recovery.

“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” she captioned a social media post on Friday, June 14. “On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.”