Prince William Steps Out Solo at the Tusk Awards — and Two Women in Stunning Gowns Were Right by His Side — Photos

Prince William attended the Tusk Awards at Raffles in London, England, on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, without Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales. After earlier speculation about their marriage, the sight of two beautifully dressed women supporting him made for an irresistible set of photographs, especially once their connection to the prince became clear.

A Tuxedo, Two Metallic Gowns, and a Question About Kate

William certainly dressed for an evening in the spotlight. According to Hello!, the prince attended the annual conservation celebration in a tuxedo, bringing enough polish to make a James Bond comparison feel entirely fair.

And really, a formal evening suited him BEAUTIFULLY. With his wife absent from the red carpet, the photographs gave his own black-tie appearance plenty of room to shine.

Yet the evening’s most delicious fashion pairing came courtesy of two British models, whose contrasting metallic gowns made a fabulous case for coordinating without dressing identically. One wore gold, the other silver, and neither approach involved being discreet about the sparkle.

Their dresses glittered with beads and sequins, giving the red carpet a wonderfully lavish finish. The combination was almost unfairly photogenic: two complementary looks, each glamorous enough to deserve its own photograph.

Before getting to their names, though, there was the question someone following the event wanted answered. On Facebook, one commenter asked, “Where was Catherine🤔?“

There was useful history behind that question: Kate had not attended the Tusk Conservation Awards since 2018. Her absence from this particular ceremony therefore followed an established pattern, but earlier conversations about the royal marriage gave some readers A LOT of reasons to scrutinize the pictures.

The New James Bond?

The Missing Sapphire That Fueled January Speculation

Those conversations had gathered attention months before William’s latest appearance. Kate’s jewelry during a January 8, 2026, visit to London’s Charing Cross Hospital became the focus of marriage speculation.

Kate appeared alongside William in a burgundy pantsuit with a matching blouse, but she left off her familiar 12-carat sapphire engagement ring. She still wore her Welsh gold wedding band, a rather significant part of the picture when discussing an allegedly meaningful absence.

The Missing Ring

Some suggested that hygiene considerations at a healthcare facility explained the missing engagement ring. But Kate had worn it during a visit to Colchester Hospital in July 2025, a comparison that encouraged further rumors.

She Wore It Months Earlier

The jewelry discussion also followed a January 6 video showing Prince George and Princess Charlotte arriving at Kensington Palace by helicopter. William greeted the children and carried their bags, while Kate did not appear in the clip.

Some people interpreted that scene as evidence of separate households, with one post claiming the children were traveling between their parents. That was an online interpretation and purely speculation, not confirmation that a separation had happened.

Additionally, a photograph taken before the Royal Variety performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall in November 2025 showed Kate looking ahead while William looked downward. This prompted competing interpretations of their expressions, from supposed emotional distance to an ordinary moment receiving far too much attention.

There was never any Palace response to the rumours. But against that background, the Tusk photographs called for a little context of their own. Now let’s get to the identities of those two spectacularly dressed guests.

Was There Distance?

Gold, Silver, and a Connection Through Diana

The women were Lady Amelia Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer, 34, twin sisters whose matching approach to glamour came with a much closer connection to William than their modeling careers suggested. Their father is Earl Spencer, the brother of William’s mother, Princess Diana, making the women his first cousins.

Yes, the dazzling support came from the Spencer side of the family. According to Marie Claire, both sisters wore Oscar de la Renta gowns with matching Roger Vivier heels, giving their gold-and-silver pairing an exceptionally glamorous designer pedigree.

They finished the looks with Chopard diamond earrings and wore their hair slicked into buns. That styling gave the jewelry a clear view, a lovely choice when the dresses already delivered so much shimmer.

The sisters understood the assignment DOWN TO THE EARRINGS. Their coordinated looks offered the pleasure of a beautifully planned double appearance while allowing each metallic shade to stand out.

The British Models Who Supported Him

Sapphire Blue Joined the Family Support

Amelia and Eliza were not the only relatives who attended. Zara Tindall, 45, also supported William, joining the event with her husband, Mike Tindall, according to Tatler.

Zara brought her own gorgeous color choice to the evening in a sapphire-blue Rebecca Vallance midi dress with short sleeves. Its name, “Crown Jewel,” felt apt for a royal guest, and the jeweled collar and buttons gave the rich blue fabric a lovely decorative finish.

She paired the dress with Kiki McDonough earrings and added a diamond bracelet. With her blonde hair immaculately styled, Zara delivered the sort of elegance that deserved a proper pause over the photographs.

She was also photographed alongside Emma Thynne, the Marchioness of Bath, whose silky satin zebra-print gown came from Because of Alice. Animal print at an evening honoring wildlife conservation was a satisfying fashion choice, and Emma wore the theme with considerable flair.

More Support from Family

Comedian John Bishop and “Dragons’ Den” star Deborah Meaden also attended. For all the fabulous clothes, however, the gathering had a purpose that carried William from the red carpet to the people being honored inside.

The People William Came to Celebrate

As Tusk’s patron, William supported a charity focused on threats to Africa’s biodiversity and the communities affected by them. Its annual awards recognized conservationists whose achievements often unfolded far from the glamour of a London ceremony.

The awards covered three categories, each recognizing a different kind of contribution. The Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa, which carried his name, honored a lifetime of work advancing conservation on the continent.

The Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa recognized an emerging figure already making a substantial difference. The Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award celebrated rangers working at the forefront of protecting endangered species.

William presented the ranger award to Daniel Yiankere, security manager at Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya. Daniel had spent 30 years as a ranger and had worked at Loisaba since 2017.

His work helped the conservancy achieve a zero-poaching record, and he took part in the team that reintroduced 21 critically endangered eastern black rhinos. Those achievements gave the award a significance no amount of red-carpet sparkle could rival.

The Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa went to Raabia Hawa, founder and director of the Ulinzi Africa Foundation. Her organization worked to protect the Tana Delta-Lamu landscape, which provided shelter for young elephants and migratory birds.

Raabia continued her conservation efforts despite threats to her life. She played a central role in the impounding of the MC Roberto over allegations of illegal fishing and helped a coastal topi population recover from just 33 animals to around 300.

The Award Recipients

William addressed the pressures facing people doing that work. “Since the Tusk Awards began 13 years ago, the challenges facing our natural world have evolved dramatically,” he said.

He continued, “Those working on the frontlines of conservation are now contending not just with the illegal wildlife trade, but the growing impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and its ripple effects on the ecosystems and communities that depend on them.”

His speech also looked ahead to another conservation engagement. “Next week, as we take the Earthshot Prize to Mumbai, we will celebrate the people, from all corners of the globe, working to tackle the climate crisis,” William said.

The remarks connected his upcoming trip with the dedication recognized in London. They also explained why this gathering remained a fixture on his calendar, with conservation taking him from a glamorous awards room to a much wider international conversation.

Meanwhile, although Catherine didn’t attend this event, she was seen days earlier at Remembrance Sunday, and a small movement on the Cenotaph balcony caught royal experts’ attention, prompting a very different reading of the couple’s current connection.

Amid the solemn traditions of Remembrance Sunday, the Princess of Wales appeared to share a fleeting moment that spoke volumes without a public declaration. While thousands gathered to honor the fallen, two royal experts noticed something happening between the Princess of Wales, her husband, and Queen Camilla.

A Solemn Occasion with a Touch of Royal History

On November 8, members of the British royal family gathered in London for the annual National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph, one of the most significant and emotional occasions on the royal calendar. The ceremony brought together senior royals, politicians, veterans, and members of the public to honor those from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations who lost their lives in war.

Among those attending was Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, who stood alongside Queen Camilla, 79, on the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office overlooking the memorial.

As People reported, Catherine took her familiar place above the proceedings while Prince William and King Charles III participated in the wreath-laying ceremony below. The service included a two-minute silence at 11 a.m., allowing those gathered to reflect on the sacrifices made by generations of service members.

For Catherine, who has attended every Remembrance Sunday service since marrying William in 2011, the occasion carried particular significance. She maintained that tradition even in 2024, when she had spent much of the year away from public duties following her cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“Being a senior member of the royal family and doing these ceremonial events is obviously important to her,” Royal Author Sally Bedell Smith previously told People.

This year, Catherine once again embraced the solemn dress code, wearing a structured dark navy double-breasted coat featuring black buttons and a contrasting dark collar.

She completed the ensemble with a dramatic wide-brimmed navy hat and an elegant updo, maintaining the understated sophistication associated with her Remembrance Sunday appearances. However, two pieces of jewelry added a particularly meaningful touch to her outfit.

The Princess reportedly wore the Collingwood pearl and diamond earrings previously owned by her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, alongside her HMS Glasgow brooch. The earrings provided a subtle connection to Diana, while the naval brooch complemented the military significance of the occasion.

A cluster of red remembrance poppies was also pinned to Catherine’s coat, accompanied by the silver-toned brooch.

Beside her, Camilla wore a dark ensemble with a large textured black hat, a pearl necklace, and her own arrangement of red poppies. The two women observed the proceedings from their elevated position, occasionally turning toward each other during the ceremony.

Their expressions largely reflected the gravity of the occasion, although the cameras also captured brief moments of interaction. And those exchanges would later attract attention for reasons that had little to do with their carefully chosen outfits.

The Meaning Behind Catherine’s Remembrance Tribute

The red poppies worn by Catherine and other members of the royal family have served as symbols of remembrance since 1921. Associated primarily with the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, they commemorate military personnel who died in conflicts and are especially prominent around Remembrance Day on November 11.

Their symbolism is closely linked to John McCrae’s World War I poem “In Flanders Fields,” which describes poppies growing among the graves of fallen soldiers. Catherine frequently wears three poppies, a choice believed to honor the three brothers of her great-grandmother, Olive Middleton, who died while serving in World War I.

In the United Kingdom, the Royal British Legion distributes poppies in exchange for donations that support veterans and the Armed Forces community.

The symbol also has a history in the United States. The Veterans of Foreign Wars organized the country’s first nationwide distribution of remembrance poppies ahead of Memorial Day in 1922, while the American Legion Auxiliary continues the tradition around Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Against this deeply symbolic backdrop, Catherine’s presence on the balcony was more than another formal royal appearance. It represented a continuation of the responsibilities she has embraced for more than a decade, including during periods when her personal circumstances made public engagements particularly challenging.

Why Catherine and Camilla’s Balcony Position Matters

Although seeing the Princess of Wales standing beside Queen Camilla might appear entirely routine today, the royal family’s balcony arrangements have occasionally prompted questions. In November 2020, for instance, Catherine and Camilla shared a balcony during the Remembrance Sunday service but stood approximately two meters apart.

According to Hello!, the unusual arrangement was necessary because of coronavirus restrictions and England’s second national lockdown. Queen Elizabeth II, then 94, observed the service from another balcony with her lady-in-waiting, Mrs. Susan Rhodes.

The late monarch had traveled from Windsor Castle, where she was staying with Prince Philip during lockdown. Prince Charles, as he was then known, laid a wreath on his mother’s behalf, while an equerry placed another for Philip, who had retired from public duties in 2017.

Questions about the balcony arrangements had also emerged in 2019, when some observers wondered why Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was not standing alongside the Queen, Camilla, and Catherine.

The explanation was straightforward: royal family members were grouped according to the order of precedence. Meghan instead shared a balcony with Sophie, then Countess of Wessex, and Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. In 2018, Meghan had stood alongside Elke Büdenbender, the wife of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Unlike Buckingham Palace’s expansive balconies, those overlooking the Cenotaph offer relatively limited space, making such arrangements especially noticeable. By 2026, however, the attention surrounding Catherine and Camilla’s shared position concerned something entirely different. It was not where the Princess stood, but what she appeared to communicate while standing there.

A Whisper Between the King and Queen the Previous Evening

The day before the Cenotaph service, on November 7, 2026, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The event brought together members of the royal family and military community for performances and tributes honoring those who served.

Charles appeared in a dark suit adorned with military medals and a striped tie, while Camilla wore an elegant black ensemble accessorized with remembrance poppies.

During the evening, the King was photographed raising his hand toward the audience as Camilla stood beside him.

Another photograph captured the royal family during the event, with Prince William and Catherine among those assembled. The occasion featured moments of applause and quiet reflection, reflecting the mixture of gratitude and solemnity that characterizes the annual festival.

Yet amid the ceremony’s musical performances, one small interaction between Charles and Camilla caught the attention of Lip-Reading Expert Nicola Hickling. Speaking to the Daily Express, Nicola claimed to have deciphered a brief exchange between the couple.

According to her interpretation, Camilla leaned toward Charles during a performance and asked, “Who was it that sang that?” The King, apparently caught off guard by the question, reportedly responded, “What, dear.”

It was an unexpectedly ordinary moment between the monarch and his wife during an otherwise formal public engagement. While lip-reading interpretations cannot establish with certainty what someone said, Nicola’s account offered a glimpse of the casual exchanges that can occur even during significant royal occasions.

And just one day later, the same expert and another would offer another interpretation of a royal conversation. This time, however, it involved Catherine, Camilla, and William, and the reported words carried a very different meaning.

The Expert Who Noticed a Change in Catherine

As the Remembrance Sunday ceremony unfolded, Body Language Expert Judi James paid particular attention to Catherine’s behavior. Speaking to the Daily Express, Judi suggested that the Princess’s manner reflected her growing importance as a reassuring figure within the royal family.

“Over the past few years of drama and scandal for the royal Firm, Catherine has emerged as their natural matriarch, a calming presence who appears to project the kind of signals of continuity and resilience that the late Queen was known for,” she explained. “And this role was more than illustrated by her body language charisma and signals here today [sic].”

The expert initially focused on Catherine’s interactions with Camilla. According to Judi, the Princess offered a “warm smile” to a “slightly tense-looking Camilla” when the two women first appeared together on the balcony. She interpreted the expression as a reassuring gesture, suggesting that Catherine was attentive to the Queen’s demeanor during the solemn proceedings.

But while the exchange between the two women was noteworthy, Judi believed another moment carried even greater significance. Her attention soon shifted to Catherine’s reaction to someone standing far below the balcony.

The Gesture Toward William That the Expert Decoded

While Catherine and Camilla watched from above, Prince William stepped forward to perform one of the ceremony’s central duties. Wearing the military uniform of a Lieutenant Colonel of the Blues and Royals, the Prince of Wales laid a poppy wreath at the Cenotaph in honor of those who died in service.

It was during this solemn act that Judi noticed what she considered a particularly revealing change in Catherine’s expression. According to the expert, the Princess appeared completely absorbed in watching her husband.

“Catherine gazed down at her husband with her left brow raised and the hint of a smile on her face,” Judi said. “She looked literally lost in the moment of approval and it was only when Camilla spoke to her again that Catherine’s head snapped round politely to offer a dimpled smile of warmth.”

The description suggested that Catherine’s attention had momentarily moved away from everything else happening around her. Although she remained physically separated from William by the height of the balcony, Judi interpreted her expression as a sign of emotional support.

The body language expert then offered what was perhaps her most striking interpretation of the moment. “Before it was broken by Camilla though, Catherine’s intense gaze down at William suggested a message of silent unity with her husband,” Judi observed. “She is a very visible presence on the balcony and this gesture suggested she is, in spirit at least, beside William as part of the ceremony she is watching.”

For Judi, the significance of the moment lay in the contrast between the couple’s physical separation and their apparent emotional connection. Catherine was not participating in the wreath-laying ceremony herself, but the expert believed her expression communicated support for the role William was fulfilling.

Of course, body language cannot definitively reveal someone’s private thoughts or emotions. Judi’s observations represent her interpretation of Catherine’s visible behavior rather than confirmation of what the Princess was feeling. Still, the expert identified another detail that she believed strengthened her assessment.

A Second Detail That Suggested a Shared Emotional Moment

After William placed his wreath, Judi claimed that the couple displayed a subtle form of “subliminal mirroring.” This time, the expert focused not on Catherine’s smile or her raised eyebrow, but on an involuntary facial movement.

“The subliminal mirroring between Catherine and her husband showed straight after he laid the wreath when it was actually possible to see both of their blink rates increase identically to signal a matching burst of intense emotion as they showed their respect for the dead,” Judi explained.

In the expert’s reading, the apparent similarity in their blinking suggested that Catherine and William were experiencing comparable emotional responses to the ceremony. While matching blink rates alone cannot establish shared feelings, Judi regarded the observation as another indication of the couple’s connection.

Throughout the service, the Princess maintained the composed demeanor expected at an occasion dedicated to honoring fallen service members. Yet the close-up photographs also captured subtle changes in her expression, offering a closer look at her appearance during the solemn event.

Meanwhile, King Charles led the wreath-laying tributes as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Wearing the uniform of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, the monarch placed a wreath featuring open-style poppy petals at the memorial.

The design closely resembled a wreath once produced for his grandfather, King George VI. Senior politicians, members of the Armed Forces, and thousands of veterans also participated in the occasion, which commemorates the 1918 Armistice and honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

But amid these deeply traditional proceedings, one further exchange involving Catherine would add an especially personal dimension to the story.

The Three Words Catherine Reportedly Said to Camilla

While Judi focused on the Princess’s expressions and movements, Lip-Reading Expert Nicola examined what Catherine appeared to say during the service. The moment reportedly occurred after William completed his wreath-laying duties, when the cameras returned to Catherine on the balcony.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express, Nicola offered her interpretation of a brief exchange between the Princess and Queen Camilla. “We all know how much Catherine loves to see William in a uniform,” Nicola said. She then described the moment that caught her attention.

“After he places the poppy wreath at the cenotaph, the camera pans to her and Catherine turns to her and says, ‘he’s so natural’.” Those three words — “he’s so natural” — were what Nicola believed Catherine had said about her husband.

If the interpretation is accurate, the remark would suggest the Princess was admiring how comfortably William carried out his ceremonial responsibilities. It would also add another layer to Judi’s earlier observation that Catherine appeared particularly focused on the Prince as he performed his duties.

The two experts approached the interaction from different perspectives, with one concentrating on facial expressions and the other attempting to interpret spoken words. Neither analysis can independently establish Catherine’s private feelings or confirm the precise conversation without additional evidence.

Nevertheless, their interpretations both centered on the same striking possibility: that Catherine was quietly expressing admiration and support for William during one of the monarchy’s most meaningful annual ceremonies. For a couple accustomed to maintaining considerable formality during public engagements, the reported remark offered a potentially revealing glimpse of their relationship.