Duchess Sophie's husband Prince Edward faces health issue, misses key event

Prince Edward was forced to pull out of an imporatan royal event with King Charles and other senior royals due to health issue, according to a new report.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Duchess Sophie's husband, did not attend the London event due to being sick.

The 61-year-old was expected to attend a ceremony at St James’s Palace alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

However, his health did not allow him to accompany the senior royals.

Charles presented the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education to 19 universities and colleges in recognition of their outstanding work.

Edward was nowhere to be seen during the grand affair, sparinking speculation with his absence.

The Duke Duke has been pacing himself after coming down with a cold and has opted to skip the Tuesday event.

Edward was last seen in public two weeks ago when he travelled to Italy to attend events during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Today’s ceremony celebrated the 19 winners for their innovation and excellence across a range of subject areas.

This included a centre tackling sustainability in the textile industry, to a partnership providing higher education in prisons, and groundbreaking research into Paralympic performance.

The Princess Royal attended the event in her capacity as Chancellor of The University of Edinburgh, which received an award for research and education by its Centre for Fire Safety Engineering.

Following the award presentations, the royals hosted a reception with the recipients and heard about their work.

Edward's wife, Sophie, has returnd home after completing a two day visit to Somalia, where she advanced her long-standing work on women’s rights and conflict recovery.